A Little McD

Quick Catch Up...

2011-11-29T11:48:00.000-06:00

I'm going to be honest with you: blogging has been the furthest thing from my mind these days. I'm not throwing in the towel all together, but I don't believe this (unintended) blogging break is over yet. 98% of my time spent at the computer is when Saige is nursing, and I don't really do the whole one handed typing thing so well.

7 weeks

Saige will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. She started sleeping through the night-ish around 6 weeks. Anywhere from 5-8 hours at a time. She's AWESOME. We have yet to get a good day time routine down with her, but I think we're close. Regardless, we're all sleeping well at night and that's the main thing.

Javen and Liam are still just head over heels for their little sister. They are such wonderful little helpers and have been playing with each other so sweetly lately.

The boys just spent the better part of a week in Illinois with Jake's parents. Their first time away from Mommy and Daddy...and they LOVED it. I'm not quite sure they even missed us at all. Jake worked a lot while they were gone, so Saige and I had our first girls weekend and got lots of Christmas shopping and decorating accomplished. We missed them so much and are so glad to have them back home. :)

The boys decorated our tree this year. All the ornaments are on the bottom half, in the front. It's adorable. Liam placed the star on top this year...

We're gearing up for a trip to Disney World in December and couldn't be more excited! I may have to pop back in here when we get back to share some photos and stories.

A few weekend ago Jake ended up not having to work at the last minute so I called up my friend Tiffany to take some family photos for us. She did a fantastic job, especially considering we skipped naps that day and had some G R U M P Y kids. If you're in the Nashville area check out Tiffany Sharp Photography.

One of these days I'll get around to sharing some of the projects, crafts and recipes we've done lately and some things on my to do list via Pintrist. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Saige::13 Days

2011-10-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

My talented friend Tiffany came over this morning to take some newborn pics of Saige. She posted a few on facebook this afternoon, and I can't wait to see the rest!

All photos by Tiffany Sharp

It's A Girl!

2011-10-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

Introducing Saige Marie

Born on October 5 (shares a birthday with her Daddy)

9:25am

7lbs 11oz

20.5 inches

Our perfect pink little bundle.

She's just amazing.

Hi

2011-09-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

Hello blogworld. I'm still here...it's just been a pretty crazy month and I've neglected this poor ole blog, as well as my google reader (1000+ unread...yikes!) and email account. Sorry about that.

To catch up:

I'm still pregnant, due a week from today.

We've been spending time organizing, cleaning, moving the boys into the same room, finishing up projects around the house, birthday parties, play dates, appointments, squeezing in a few photo sessions with friends...and the general nesting stuff.

This week we're enjoying the company of my grandparents (as well as the pool at their hotel!). We're having a blast..and getting ready to spend this beautiful day outside, picnic lunch and who knows what other adventures we'll find!

We're also soaking up what little time we have left with our good friends before they move away this weekend. :(

Pretty much, we're busy and I'm ignoring my computer. Don't be surprised if the next post you see on here is of a newborn some time towards the end of next week. Just don't hold me too it; I may be too busy sleeping and snuggling with the baby and his or her big brothers.

Boy or girl? What do you think?

We still don't have a name picked out!

Tick...tock...tick...tock...

Today We...

2011-09-02T11:40:00.000-05:00

And now if you'll excuse me, I have a kitchen floor to clean. :)

Work Crew

2011-08-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

My "new" pantry is thisclose to completion. (Yay!!) Not to worry, I've got the best crew working on it!

Lately

2011-08-23T20:18:00.000-05:00

Today you get a list of random thoughts. My brain is too tired to organize words into coherent paragraphs that flow effortlessly into each other.

***
Javen got a hair cut. The shortest he's ever been and it looks awesome.

I promise I did NOT enhance his eye color! I know they are so blue, they almost look fake. Just caught some good evening light from the window behind me. And the reddish/orange tint in his hair is from the kitchen light. He's not a red head. :)

Also? He has a crush (his first) on Miss Kim, the (best stylist ever!!) who cuts our hair. Cute, cute, cute.

***
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a lefty...at least when it comes to batting. For everything else he still uses both hands. Pretty impressive if you ask me. :)

And if you ask him, he can do ANYTHING Javen can. Just try and stop him. :)

***
I'm 34 weeks pregnant and starting to feel a little more stressed about the whole not having a boy name picked out issue. And my crazy pregnant brain is messing with me and making me second guess the girl name we've had picked out since the beginning of time.

***

My super, amazing, incredible, wonderful, hot husband has been up to his ears in projects around the house. We had an ant invasion in our pantry last week, which led to throwing away chips and cereal and taking out all the rest of the food and wiping down the cans, boxes etc so the "bug guy" could spray the empty pantry.

We turned lemons into lemonade and decided since the pantry was empty it would be a great time to tear out the shelves, paint, and build new, bigger, better shelves. It's a great project to satisfy my crazy nesting organization need. (Not to mention the slew of other projects he's almost completed. That will be a different post entirely. All I can say is, prepare to be impressed with Jake!)

***

Photography is starting to take over my life (in a good way) and I'm excited. More on this later. For now I'll leave you with a little sneak peek of a session I just did with some friends. She's due in 10 days!

Babies Babies Babies

2011-08-12T16:31:00.001-05:00

I'm 8 months pregnant. Technically, 32 1/2 weeks. I am feeling HUGE. And HOT. And I get kicked A LOT.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Notice the nice soap smudge on the mirror in the bottom left hand corner? Thankyouverymuch for putting a new one there every.single.day., Mr. Javen. (At least he's washing his hands, right?)

The other day Javen and I were sitting on the couch watching his favorite show (Wild Kratts, if you're interested) and out of the blue he says: "Mama, that's my baby sister in there." (Patting my belly)

I tell him that yes, it could be his baby sister, but it could be a baby brother. We won't know until the baby is born.

He's determined it's a sister. He already has a little brother.

Speaking of a possible new little brother, he has yet to be named. We just can't find the right one. Jake said maybe it's a sign from God that since we landed on a little girl name months ago, we were having a little girl.

Maybe. But I still need to be prepared. A top 3 list in the very least.

(No, we're not sharing our girl name, you just have to wait and see!)

In other baby news, at my appointment this week my OB told me that if the baby doesn't come on his/her own by the due date then we have to do a c-section that week.

Please pray with me that this little one decides to have a birthday on or before Oct 4. I know it's not the end of the world to have another c-section, but if at all possible I'd like to avoid it!

Speaking of praying for healthy babies, there are three sweet baby boys (and their parents) I know that could really use prayers.

A good friend of mine gave birth to her son, Micah and he was only at 32 weeks gestation. (Since she has chosen not to blog about this, I'd like to respect her privacy and not publish any photos). He is doing well for being such a preemie, but still has some obstacles to overcome as he grows in the coming weeks. Please pray he continues to grow stronger so they can take healthy little Micah home!

Another wonderful family, Becca and Adam (and big sister Jayci) celebrated the birth of their beautiful baby boy, Caden last week. Though undetected in the womb, he was born with severe heart issues and at only 5 days old underwent open heart surgery. The surgery went well, but he is still hooked up to many machines and fighting for his life. You can follow his story on Becca's blog "The Stanley Clan" or by joining a facebook page set up for Caden called "Candles for Caden." (You can also click on the "we are Caden's heart" button on my blog in the upper right hand corner that will take you to Becca's blog).

Baby Caden opened his eyes today for the first time since his surgery on Monday!

Our friends Jacob and Shanna are pregnant with their first child, Elijah James. During the routine 20 week ultrasound, they discovered that Elijah has a rare skeletal disorder that is always fatal. He will continue to grow and thrive in the womb, but is not expected to live past birth. Jacob wrote an amazing blog post about their story and their faith through it all. I encourage you to read it and please keep this beautiful family in your prayers. Shanna is due early November.

Shanna and baby Elijah

I know all three of these families covet your prayers. Three very different circumstances, three precious little boys, and three ways to see God glorified through their stories and their lives.

Bananas in the Kitchen

2011-08-09T14:52:00.001-05:00

I normally have to make a milk/banana run to the store midweek. Last week I guess we ate less bananas than usual and ended up with some over ripe ones sitting on the counter.

It was banana bread time.

My friend Jamie, just posted a new recipe for banana bread on her blog that I thought I'd give a try. I'd never seen banana bread made in a bunt pan, but it called for 4 bananas, so I was game!

As I read the list of ingredients I mentally checked off everything I had in my kitchen for the recipe. Then I went through my checklist of what was missing in the recipe.

I'm not a good rule follower when it comes to cooking and baking. 99% of the time I put my own twist on things. I'm also not much of a measure-er. I like to eye-ball it. Keeps things interesting in the kitchen.

So here's Jamie's recipe, I believe she adapted it from the Pioneer Woman.

My modifications are in green. Don't hate me for my estimated measurements. :)

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
1-1/2 C + 2 Tbl of sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 C mashed ripe bananas (this was about 4 bananas)
4 C + 2 Tbl all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
A few shakes of cinnamon
Apx 4 Tbl of flax seed
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 C sour cream I used maybe a 3/4 cup of sour cream, then used around 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt. Basically, I just spooned in equal amounts of sour cream and yogurt. Not really sure the exact amount that went in.
1 Bag of chocolate chips I used a little less than a whole bag so that I had some extra chips to use in the frozen chocolate banana bite recipe below.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease and flour bundt pan

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add mashed bananas and mix together.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Add dry ingredients and sour cream alternately into the butter/sugar mixture, beating after each addition.

Stir in chocolate chips

Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour and 10 min. or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Invert onto a cooling rack or plate and let cool before slicing.

Here's the thing about this bread: it plays with your mind. You know you just made bread (albeit with chocolate chips!), but when you take that bundt pan out of the oven you SEE cake.

Try not to let this deception skew your opinion of how it tastes. If you think cake, then you're going to be disappointed in the sweetness. If you think bread, then I have one word for you: YUM.

After I made the bread, I still had some left over banana. I just whipped up some frozen chocolate banana bites. REALLY easy recipe!

Here's the cast of characters:

Even amounts of chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter, bananas, wax paper, tooth picks and sprinkles.

Cut the banana into bite sized chunks. Stick tooth pick in each bite. Lay the bananas on wax paper.

Throw the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. (Stir after 30 seconds before heating again.)

Dip the bananas into the melted chocolaty goodness and place back onto wax paper. Remove tooth picks and cover in sprinkles.

Freeze for at least an hour to set the chocolate. (Bananas will not be frozen at this point, so freeze longer if you want a nice ice cream-like treat.)

Enjoy!

Unreal

2011-08-06T20:23:00.000-05:00

"Unreal" pretty much sums up this past week.

Don't ask me about Monday and Tuesday. They were a blur. I don't even remember what happened on those days. :)

Wednesday was just "one of those days." I was in bed by 7pm and asleep by 7:30. I think Jake put the boys down around 8:30? Not sure, all I know was I needed my day to end ASAP. Then I proceeded to get 12 hours of sleep.

Which was really good timing because Thursday was a doozie.

Javen woke up sick. Jake headed to work and of course ended up working downtown and was stuck there all day. Long story short, after speaking to Javen's pediatrician's office a couple times, they told me to take him to the ER.

NOT what I wanted to hear.

I think I've maybe taken him to the doctor one time due to illness. My kids have never had so much as an ear infection. An occasional cold, yes. But nothing to normally warrant a doctor visit. Anyway...the ER.

I dropped Liam off at our neighbor's house and Javen and I were off to the hospital.

In 3 years of parenting, this was our first trip to the ER.

4 hours, 3 PBS shows, 2 popsicles, and 1 x-ray later we were home and in the clear. Javen was the best little patient. His only complaint was he wanted a sandwich. Poor little guy was hungry, but after a morning of throwing up, I wasn't ready to oblige his appetite.

The next day he was doing MUCH better. You would have never even known he was sick on Thursday. That's how he rolls.

Can't keep a good man down.

On Friday, both boys were asking to go "bye bye" and since I had a week's worth of errands to accomplish, I happily obliged.

We struck gold at the (tax free!) clearance sale at Children's Place.

(Oh, and the baby even got something cute from the tax free sales!)

We got caught in torrential down pours and had to change the boys out of sopping wet clothes into previously mentioned new clothes. (That I bought for NEXT summer, so they were to big, but at least they were dry!)

Side note: I can't believe the clothes I bought for Javen next summer were not in the toddler section any more! He'll be in clothes from the big boy section! How did this happen?!

We came home and had lunch, then they BOTH proceeded to protest nap time. Not a wink of sleep. Oh well.

Can't win 'em all!

Organize!

2011-08-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

So I've discovered pintrist. I know it's been around for a while, but I've never been quick to jump on technology or social networking trends. (Yes, I still own/use a "dumb phone" with no Internet. And I'm quite happy with it!)

Anyway, pintrist. It's been such a fun resource to get great ideas for everything under the sun...photography, fashion, home decor, cooking and my latest obsession: home organization. (This works so well with the whole nesting thing!) We've pretty much accepted the fact that we're stuck in our town home for a while until the market picks up, so it's time to get creative with getting the most out of our space.

Enter: closet organization.

The boys will be sharing a room sometime starting in early 2012. We found some bunk beds on craigslist and now it's time for me to figure out how to make their closet more kid friendly. A few ideas a'la pintrist.

Source

The curtains are cute, but not practical for my boys. I don't think they need that easy of access to their closet. It would NEVER stay clean. Right now their closet doors are hard (for even me) to open. I think I'm liking it that way!

Source

Love the shelves, cubbies and low bars so the kids can reach their clothes. My best guess is that only one kid is using this closet though!

Source

This one is my favorite. Our closet isn't quite as big as this one, but how great are the shoe cubbies and drawers with their names? I wonder how long the closet actually stays this organized?

The other closet in our house that needs some major help is the laundry closet. We have some space in there not being used right now, and I really need to use it! Here are a few ideas I've come across:

Source

I would also LOVE to figure out a way to hang some drying racks in there (maybe on the back of the doors?) Any of you have some good tips? How do you organize your closets?

P.S. If anyone needs a pintrist invite, let me know! I just need your email address. :)

Be Cool, Stay InSIDE

2011-07-29T15:38:00.000-05:00

I had started feeling guilty about all the time we've been spending indoors this summer. It's 100+ degrees outside with a heat index, so I pretty much start to swell at the thought of stepping outside.

Yesterday at my OB appointment, my doctor told me to please stay inside, it's just too dangerous to be in this heat. That being said, today's activity was completely justified in my mind: we spent the morning with our neighbors at an indoor pirate themed playground. While we can't do this sort of thing all the time, (it's not free!) it did prove to be a fun 1/2 day trip that wore my kids out in time for a great nap!

Mission: Accomplished.

Choo-choo!

Fun friends

Sweet smiles

Silly faces

Having a ball!

By The Numbers

2011-07-26T13:34:00.000-05:00

27: How old I am today. (!!)

30: How many weeks pregnant I am. Speaking of...I actually took a belly pic or two today...just for all of you who've been asking. Resorted to the bathroom mirror for help, so yes, that is a toilet scrub brush in the background. Just keepin' it real.

10: How many weeks left of this pregnancy I have left...give or take. Most likely give seeing as both boys came (induced) late. However, given the amount of contractions I've already been dealing with, maybe there's a chance I won't go so late this time? 3rd time's the charm, right?

My day so far:

Woke up to the news that my cousins baby was born in the wee hours of the morning! Couldn't be more excited to share this day with the little guy!

Opened up some wonderful birthday cards from family this morning. (Thank you!!!)

Fun morning of reading books, playing trucks and doing puzzles with my boys.

Liam is currently protesting nap time. Not sure what this is all about, since he's typically such a good little sleeper. I reallllly hope he falls asleep soon because it's making me grumpy too.

Excited to get some ice cream with our friends down the street after nap time! They're so sweet for taking me out since Jake has to work late. I love our neighborhood!

Yeah, he has to work tonight. And the past two nights. And the next few nights. It's just one of those weeks.

BUT this year for my birthday he's appeasing my crazy re-decorating bug and helping me redo our bedroom. Paint, patching some nail holes, new duvet...a few little projects to actually make the room look complete before we bring out the baby gear from the attic. :)

I'm excited.

Oh, and we're also trying to save up for a trip to Disney World sometime in early 2012...so if you've got any insider money saving Disney tips, let me know! (It's going to be the ~~boys~~ 3 kids Christmas gift. Not that the baby will remember any of it, but he or she will be there posing for a photo with Mickey!)

And phew...Liam's asleep...I think I'll join him!

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

2011-07-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

Still here...doing our best to survive this intense heat.

We had a neighborhood water play date this week and it was so much fun! It also insured some great afternoon naps.

Guess, what? I didn't take ONE photo.

I sat in the shade and watched my boys splash around and my feet swell. Pregnancy in the summer is no joke.

But guess what? One of my neighbors is a photographer and she did bring her camera. Check out my cuties and their friends keeping cool...

Photos by Tiffany Sharp

We are having such a fun summer with a great group of kids and their Mom's! Play dates, Mom's night out, Dad's night out...we are so blessed to have a neighborhood full of such great families!

Summer, Thus Far

2011-07-05T14:34:00.000-05:00

So, lets see if I can sum up the past few weeks...

The boys and I spent some time in the OBX at my Aunt and Uncle's beach house, while Jake had to stay home and work one of the biggest events his company does every year. I found round trip tickets for $80, and he insisted I go. Before you feel too bad for him, last weekend he got to go to the U2 concert while I stayed home with the boys.

beach boy

We're even.

Last night we watched the fireworks with a few of our neighbors and had a blast! I was nervous that Liam would hate it since he's so terrified of thunder, but he did just fine. Before the show, the kids jumped in a bouncy house, went down the giant slide, got their faces painted and got a free balloon.

4th crew

Mama and the boys

bounce bounce bounce

slide!

takin' a stroll with Daddy

firework face

Miracle of miracles, Javen actually slept in till 8:30 this morning, and after lunch asked me if he could take a rest. Such a trooper. :)

In other news, today marks my 27th week of pregnancy: hello 3rd trimester!!

Only 13 weeks to go...

Dear Daddy,

2011-06-26T16:58:00.000-05:00

We miss you a lot, but are managing to have some fun...

Pop dug a hole and the ocean made a little pool for us to jump in...

And I got Aunt Heather to "sand me up". I can't believe I didn't like the sand last year, because it's SO fun!

We'll have lots more pictures to show you when we get home. Love you lots, Dad!

Love,
Javen, Liam and Baby

"Funder"

2011-06-16T11:53:00.002-05:00

We've had scattered thunderstorms here for the past two days. I don't mind thunder storms. They tend to cool things off a bit and allow for some out door time splashing in puddles. As long as they don't morph into tornado's, we're good.

Storms have never bothered my kids. They don't bat an eye at loud winds or stir in their sleep during the crack of thunder that rattles the house. Something changed this time. It was thundering and Liam started to FREAK OUT.

"Mamaaaaaaaaaa! Mamaaaaaaaa! It's WOUD!" (loud)

There were tears, wailing and clinging for dear life to my neck. Every time he would settle down enough to peel himself away and go play, it would thunder again and send him running in to my arms. His little heart just pounding.

Javen's response? "It's aw-wight, buddy. It's just woud funder. I don't wike it eve-er. But it's aw-wight."

My boys...so sweet.

Yesterday the thunder woke Liam up from his nap. It was a long groggy day for us both, but the continuous rumbles ensured lots of snuggles for me.

In other news, I've come up with some pretty good ideas for indoor afternoon activities so far...

1. Last week when Heather was here I asked her if she'd mind building a fort out of blankets to distract the boys while I snuck out for a little bit. To say that they LOVED that fort would be an understatement. We had nightly family reading time (complete with flashlight), and daily play. It also doubled as a garage for all of their cars and trucks.We kept it up for a week before taking it down, but I definitely plan on doing that one again!

2. Indoor picnic with a movie. Snack time on the floor in the living room in front of the TV? Unheard of! I think that's why it was such a hit. Javen asks for it every day when he wakes up from his nap. (No, we don't do it every day.) If I'm feeling brave one day, I may actually let them try an entire meal out this way.

3. Painting. This was a MESSY afternoon, but they had a blast covering the paper, their faces, hands, arms, legs, feet and the kitchen floor in (washable) paint. This activity also led to a mid-afternoon bath, which was fun as well. I let them play and splash until the water went cold.

Liam didn't venture much from my lap because of the thunder. He made sure that Mommy's legs matched his though.

4. Play doh. Liam in his high chair and Javen at the table. We made elephants, lizards, worms, crabs, ice cream cones, lollipops, balls...you name it. Liam did a great job not eating it, and actually had a blast pretending to lick the ice cream cone. I think he had more fun than Javen.

5. Never underestimate the power of paper, crayons, scissors and glue. My kids are still a bit too young for scissors, so I cut out random shapes and let them glue away. Yesterday we cut out a huge umbrella and Javen requested ice cream cone shapes to glue onto it. He completed his masterpiece using different color crayons to make sprinkles all over it. Liam enjoyed scribbling on his name and gluing shapes onto his paper.

Some other ideas I have up my sleeve are:
-Puzzle day
-Book themed day (My boys love the book Go Dog, Go so we plan on having a dog party-like the one in the book.)
-Cooking/baking day
-Playing with shaving cream in the bathtub
-Laundry basket day (my kids LOVE playing with my laundry baskets)
-Water day (outside, obviously!)
-Park day (like we did this morning, the storms yesterday cooled things off a bit...it was in the mid-80's...so we played outside for a while.)
-More to come...hopefully!

The Post Where I Complain...A Lot...

2011-06-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

It's been a rough week in pregnancy land.

I'm 6 months pregnant, it's the middle of June and it is already miserably HOT and HUMID. I'm no stranger to this type of weather, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for the uncomfortableness factor being upped quite so high when you're with child.

I was outside for maybe 15 minutes yesterday and my knees, ankles, feet/toes were swollen for the remainder of the day. August, I dread you.

I've had braxton hicks since week 20, (which isn't a bad thing) but lately they've been painful, which isn't so much fun.

I'm really feeling my physical limitations this time around. It's frustrating because I've never felt like I physically couldn't accomplish some sort of every day task due to pregnancy. Last night I had two dishes in the sink to wash before I headed up to shower and sleep, and I literally did not have it in me to finish cleaning the kitchen. It made me feel like such a lazy bum, and I probably would have dwelled on that a bit longer if I hadn't fallen dead asleep by 8:45. :)

This past week must have been "village idiot vacation week" and they all came to Nashville to tell me how fat I look. I think maybe seven different people (some strangers, some just acquaintances) approach me and ask if I was pregnant, because they didn't want to assume that I was pregnant if in fact I had just gained some weight/carried heavy in my stomach. And I quote: "Because some women just tend to be heavier around the middle...ummm...uhhh."

Really? The only women I've seen look like they're carrying a ball in their stomach and look normal sized everywhere else have been pregnant 100% of the time. No question.

Why would you ask such a question?! EVER?

(Please excuse the sudden outburst...it must be the hormones talking.)

In other news, I think the heat is getting to all of us. Poor sleepy Liam could barely get through lunch today without nodding off...

Also, if anyone has some great indoor activities we can do this summer...let me know your ideas! Today we had an indoor picnic snack on the living room floor while watching a movie. I'm trying to figure out ways to bring summer inside since apparently I can't handle the heat too well. :)

Oh! Crazy pregnant lady alert: I've decided we (read: Jake) need to re-paint our master bed room. We painted it a couple years ago and it's just never really sat well with me. I've tried and tried to decorate and have failed miserably. Enter: grey paint. Anyone have a favorite shade/brand/color? The hunt is ON!

Bright and Vivid!

2011-06-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

Not only is that the theme for i heart faces this week, but it's also what comes to mind every time I look at this photo:

Summertime or what?

Be sure to click over to i heart faces to see all the colorful entries this week!

Lately

2011-06-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

**I had another sonogram this week. The tech said it's a really good thing we didn't want to find out what we're having because the baby had his or her legs closed the entire time again! Jake and I both walked away from the appointment thinking it was a girl, but I change my mind about 12 times a week. :)

**My sister, Heather was here for a few days. Let's just say that after we dropped her off at the airport today I had two VERY sad little boys on my hands.

** I took some pictures for some friends this week of their adorable kiddos. We literally spent about only 7 minutes shooting. She could have posed all day for me, little bro wasn't so much into getting his picture taken, but was cute nonetheless! Looking through the photos I've realized that I'm not there yet. As in, I'm not in the place I want to be with my photography. I'm ok with that though, because I LOVE learning photography, and lets be honest: I've only been at it for a year. And I think I'm getting closer to knowing my style. Anyway...here are a few of my favs, with kids this cute, how can you go wrong?

**Javen asks me to take his picture just about all the time. Today I grabbed my camera as the boys were waiting by the front door for Daddy to get home...

Mommy, take my picture!

Daddy's home!

Favorite May Photo

2011-05-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

Joining in on i heart faces this week! My favorite photo from this month is Liam playing in the tupperware cabinet. He looks like he's just been caught, even though he's totally allowed to play in this one. :)

Check out some great photos this week at i heart faces!

I Could Eat Him...

2011-05-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

'Cause he's just that cute!

A Little Bit of Everything

2011-05-24T13:28:00.000-05:00

*Over the past week I've been trying to explain to the boys that there is a baby in my tummy. Liam just shakes his head "no" and Javen says, "no there isn't, Mom!"

Yesterday, it somehow clicked in Javen's head that I was telling the truth (maybe it's because it's the only way he can explain why my stomach is sticking out now.) He came right up to me and kissed my belly/the baby.

Then he tried to lift my dress up so he could see the baby. This morning he told me there was a baby in his tummy...maybe he doesn't quite get it yet.

*Speaking of the new baby, Jake and I both think it's a boy. I promise we didn't find out at the sonogram (it wasn't even possible to know). So that's our guess. Yes, we have a name picked out. Yes, it's quite possible we could change our minds. No his name will not be Milton. (Ahem, Heather!!) No, we will not be sharing the name until the baby is born.

*In case you were wondering, no, I haven't quit blogging. I'm not closing up shop. It just seems that the promised 2nd trimester energy that has been so faithful to arrive in my last two pregnancies is going to fail to make an appearance this time around. So I sleep when the kids nap. I don't stay up late at night to blog or email or whatever. I sleep, or I can't make it to dinner. Actually, I should be sleeping right now.

*We bought the boys a slip and slide. Javen LOVES it, Liam has no interest. We have a slight hill in our back yard and it's just perfect for Javen to play on his water slide.

A little story behind this last photo: He went up to the top of the slide, said "Hey Mom! Take my picture!" Then proceeded to slide down while saying "cheeeeeeese!" the entire time.

I've created a (quite photogenic) monster. Cute, right?

Hey Baby!

2011-05-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

I had the sonogram last week, so here are the first pictures of our new sweet baby. No, we didn't find out the gender, but even if we had wanted to this little one had his or her legs crossed the entire time!

Feet are over top of the head, and there is a finger resting on the forehead.

Tilting the head back for a little stretch!

I'm still dealing with that first trimester exhaustion, even though I'm smack in the middle of my second trimester. (Hello 5 months...half way there!) Other than that, things are going along just great. We're still playing the name game and haven't settled on anything yet.

If you have a guess as to if it's a boy or a girl, go vote on the poll in the right hand side bar. :)

(Javen thinks it's a girl.)

Beach Sneak Peek

2011-04-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

The Safe Place

2011-04-27T17:04:00.001-05:00

We spent last week in Florida with my Grandparents, and I'm going to tell you about that wonderful trip soon. We got home last night, only to wake up to tornado sirens at 4something this morning. It's pretty much a weekly occurrence around here, and one that I'm not fond of.

Typically when the sirens go off, we head to our first floor half bathroom and hunker down in our safe place till the sirens stop or Lisa Patton gives the all clear.

Last weekend Javen obsessed over his Easter basket full of the candy he gathered at the hunt. He HAD to have it in his possession at all times. Unfortunately for the candy fiend, we had to take it away for a while on the account of him stuffing his face. (Stay with me here, the candy and the tornado's actually tie together in this story.)

After a nap one afternoon, he woke up requesting his basket.

Javen: Daddy, I need my candy.
Daddy: You may have some after dinner tonight.
Javen: But where is my candy?
Daddy: Some place safe.
Javen: Is it in the bathroom?

Bird Boys

2011-04-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

We went to the zoo this morning. I decided a little caffeine would be in order for me to tackle the hills with the double stroller, so we stopped by Starbucks. When I pulled up to get my coffee and pay, she told me my order was free since we had to wait so long. I'll admit, the wait was the longest I've ever sat through, but well worth the free coffee. I knew it was going to be a good day. :)

Since we go to the zoo about once a week, I don't take my camera every time. Two kids, the double stroller, diaper bag, sippy cups, snacks, sunscreen, packed lunches...it's a lot to juggle without having to worry about my camera.

I brought it today, because today we were going to feed the birds. Every time we see the bird exhibit, Javen walks up to the tree with the most birds and puts his arms out, just waiting for the birds to land on him. So today I splurged and spent $1 on bird food to ensure his dream of holding a bird would come true. He was SO excited and stood perfectly still the whole time, biggest grin on his face.

When the food was gone, he handed me the empty cup and he and Liam walked over to the pond to watch the ducks. When we left the exhibit, a food vendor gave us a free bag of cotton candy because she couldn't stand how cute the boys were. I guess it's free food day for us...hmm...wonder where we should go try our luck for a free dinner tonight? :)

Stuff in My Head

2011-04-11T13:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA lately. We've been outside all day every day since the sun decided to show up for spring. Also the whole pregnant thing doesn't lend itself to me spending a free moment on the computer. I like to spend those times on the couch or visiting my pillow. You know how it is. Anywho, here's a list-ish of things floating around in my brain lately.

Warning: completely random post to follow.

Yesterday I had to do the whole hair tie trick on my pants so I could button them. I think the bump is starting to show.

***

Last night I tossed and turned and didn't sleep because I had a 7:30 dentist appointment this morning. I don't do dental stuff well at all. It's traumatic. I've had BAD experiences, but this is a blog and not a book, so maybe I'll just save those stories for another time. Apparently the dentist who put my sealants in however many years ago did a whack job and there are air pockets in one of my teeth between the tooth and the sealant. So they have drill it out and put a new one in.

Apparently everyone in the dentist office knows I'm pregnant except for the dentist. He gets half way done numbing my mouth when the hygienist tells him I'm pregnant. He panics for a moment, then runs off to call my OB to make sure this procedure is ok with her. Well, it's pretty much not ok. So I leave the office with half my mouth numbed hoping that my air pocket tooth doesn't become a cavity or root canal by November when I can get it fixed.

True story.

***

Yesterday while at the park Javen climbs up one of those rock walls to get to the slide. When he gets to the top he yells "Mama, I just climbed the puzzle wall! I climbed all those puzzles!"

Haha.

***

Javen's southern accent is in full gear.
The latest word? "Pink"
Except when he says it, it sounds more like "Pank."

***

I realize that I may lose some friends over this next one, so if you feel like you need to stop reading my blog, I'll understand.

I don't like bacon.

I don't take issue with any moral or animal rights, I just think it's disgusting. Actually, pork of any kind is gross to me.

So glad I could get that off my chest.

***

Picture fix for my fam who stops by for photos of the boys:

Painting...check out that concentration!

Flying a kite with Daddy.

Let's go fly a kite...

***

Backhoe

2011-04-06T14:52:00.000-05:00

Driving the backhoe with Pop back in Feb.

Yeah...I'm that far behind in my photos. Maybe I'll catch up before the baby is born.

Just maybe.

Pregnancy Update

2011-03-31T10:40:00.000-05:00

So I have a confession to make: I can't remember how far along I am exactly. I have to keep looking it up. I know it's somewhere around 13 or 14 weeks. It's funny how with my first pregnancy I knew at any given time how far along I was to the day. I had a little more trouble remembering how far along I was when I was pregnant with Liam, but I always knew the week. Now? Now I'm just aiming to remember what trimester I'm in. That proves to be a bit tricky when you're around the 13-14 week range and the trimester status changes.

Anyway, turns out I'm 13 and a half-ish weeks. I guess I wasn't that far off from guessing 13-14 since I'm smack dab in the middle. This is the last week of my first trimester. Praise God.

Here's a quick glance at this pregnancy thus far:

Due Date: October 4 (which means nothing. My babies are always late!)

How far along? 13 and a half-ish weeks. So long, first trimester!

Weight gain? I lost 4lbs last month

Baby Bump? It's really only noticeable after I eat at this point.

Maternity clothes? Not wearing them yet...still in my skinny jeans! I did just purchase my first maternity swim suit, aka TENT. Both Javen and Liam were winter pregnancies, so this will be my first huge, hot and miserable summer. :)

Cravings? I can really only stand to eat fruit, chocolate and sweet baked goods. Major sweet tooth. This is SO different from my first two pregnancies. All I wanted with the boys was veggies, salty and spicy stuff. The hotter, the better. Now the smell of an onion sends me running towards the bathroom.

Morning sickness? Headaches/migraines, exhaustion (as in I wake up tired EVERY day) and some nausea and food aversions. Easiest pregnancy yet, by far.

Life in general? I nap whenever possible which means all chores and upkeep of the house has gone out the window. There are mountains of laundry piled up in the hallway and I can never stay on top of dishes. I'm ready to get my energy back so I can make this house shine again!

3rd Birthday Extravaganza Continues!

2011-03-24T14:02:00.000-05:00

Javen had quite the birthday weekend. On Friday we had a little party with Jake's parents...complete with ice cream cake, cupcakes and presents. Fun night!

On his actual birthday (Monday) the four of us headed to Chuck E Cheese for what turned out to be Javen and Jake's first visit. A little tip for you: Monday night at 5:30 PM, Chuck E Cheese is a ghost town and we had a blast!

A little Bob the Builder fun...

Some crappy pizza...

Jungle Gym Javen

Racing in the Kentucky Derby...

Liam's favorite ride...

and games with Daddy.

Still can't believe the boy who made me a Mom is now 3! We're so blessed to have such a wonderful kid!

3rd Birthday Zoo Trip

2011-03-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Jake's parents came down for a quick birthday visit and we headed to the zoo! The boys had a BLAST and we're excited to get some mileage out of our annual pass this year. (Thanks Aunt Jerrie and Uncle John!) Here are a few photos from our visit...

Petting/brushing the goats in the petting zoo.

Taking a break with Papa and Daddy in the shade.

Strike a pose.

SO excited about the...

Giraffes!

He came right up to the fence to say hello! No zoom needed for these pics!

Fun day with Papa and Gramma!

Baby Names on the Brain

2011-03-22T13:50:00.000-05:00

Whenever we meet new people and they learn the names of my children, often their response falls into one of two categories:

1. Oh, you guys aren't Irish at all are you? ;)
2. Oh, what interesting names. (i.e. What were you smoking when you guys named these babies? Crazy parents!)

Call us crazy, but we love our kids names. (Duh, why would we name them something we don't like?) It's ok if you don't like their names. I'm not offended. To each his/her own. And believe it or not, their names are not Irish, though we have nothing against Irish names!

Javen Andrew
Javen (Hebrew) means "righteous". Javen (spelled JavAn in the Bible) was one of Noah's grandsons. Pronounced "Jay-ven". Andrew (English) means "manly warrior". It's also Jake's middle name.

Liam Robert
Liam (Irish/English) means "protector"
Robert (English) means "bright fame". Robert is also the first name of all the men on my side of the family. They all go by their middle names to avoid confusion.

Baby McD #3
We're working on coming up with names for this little one. (Or maybe I should say I am working on coming up with names and Jake gives the thumbs up or down.) This time around is a bit more challenging as we have to come up with a boy and a girl name. (No, I'm NOT having twins!) We decided to not find out the baby's gender at the big ultrasound...it's going to be a surprise until the end. (Which should be around October 4.)

We have a good contender picked out for a boy name, but girls names are not coming as easily. So, what are some of your favorite girl names? Just looking for some inspiration or a jumping point to place us in the right direction.

3

2011-03-21T21:31:00.000-05:00

Just had to pop in to commemorate Javen's 3rd Birthday today! I don't know how it's here already. I look away for .002 seconds and all of the sudden he's 3.

We've had such a fun birthday weekend filled with Grandparents, zoo trip, playing outside, presents, ice cream cake and a family trip to Chuck E Cheese. I took lots of pictures to share, but right now they are on my camera and my pillow is calling my name.

Stay tuned...be back soon with photos. Promise.

Night!

Sleep

2011-03-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

I've had some pretty lame excuses for not blogging lately.

1. Broken computer. (True. Lame situation, passable excuse.)

2. Out of town. (Also true. I didn't have my computer with me because it was broken.)

3. Busy. (True, but lame. I'm always busy.)

The excuse I have yet to give you is excuse number 4.

4. I've been using all my spare time (read: normal blogging time) SLEEPING.

It's totally true! Know why?

Because I'm pregnant! And this Mama is exhausted beyond all measure.

I'm hopeful that the second trimester will bring my energy back. So just hang in there and I'll be back to the blog world once I wake up. Should be somewhere in the realm of 2 weeks. (Fingers crossed!)

And at that point I'll have pictures. Lots of pictures. Including some of my boys in their "big brother" t-shirts. You better believe they're excited about the new baby!

So I'm off to sleep. It's waaaay past my bed time. :)

Flare

2011-03-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

I know...I've been MIA for a few weeks. All with good reason, but I'll save that for another post. Today I'm joining in on i heart faces for the first time in...a while. This is one of my favorite photos. He was so proud of himself for climbing that fence! I have it framed in 11x14. :)

Check out all the other fun sun flare photos at i heart faces!

Home on the Range

2011-03-03T09:15:00.000-06:00

It's Thursday. The first day since we got back from Maryland that we don't have any plans. We don't have to be anywhere at any time. The day is ours! Naps will happen at normal times, I sat down and ate breakfast and enjoyed a warm cup of coffee. I actually have a moment to open my computer, check my email and say hello to blogland. (hello!)

The only thing that scares me about this day is that I have to face the housework that's been piling up on me all week. The mountains of dirty laundry awaiting me rival Mt. Everest. Sheets need to be changed, bathrooms scrubbed and to be honest, the windows seem to be lying to us about the weather. I think it's actually a bit sunnier outside than they're letting on.

I'm so thankful it's starting to look like spring! The boys and I plan to walk (yes, walk...we live close!) down to the grocery store today and pick up our short list of necessities. (milk and strawberries) I have yet to download photos from my camera to share with you, but my sis posted a few she took of Javen at the wedding in all his ring bearer glory. Check out my little stud. (Thanks Heather!)

Where Were We?

2011-02-28T08:11:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I (think?) I mentioned my computer was taking a little trip to Best Buy to get fixed. It came back missing a key and in worse shape than when I dropped it off. (Ugg!!!) The day after I got it back we left for a week long trip to Maryland for my cousin's wedding and some family time. We arrived on Friday morning, the wedding was Saturday and Jake had to go back home on Sunday. The boys and I stayed until the next Saturday. I'd just like to point out that since Jake left 6 days before I did, that I flew back to TN with two boys under age 3- BY MYSELF.

AND...

When the plane landed in TN the passengers around me (on our completely booked flight!) complimented me on how well behaved my children were. (SuperMom moment.) The secret is fruit snacks, people. Only at 30,000 feet am I not above bribes. Go figure.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I did not drop off the face of the earth. Once I get everyone unpacked and caught up on laundry, emails, housework, etc, I'll download some photos and get back to our regularly blogging schedule.

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T12:20:00.000-06:00

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandad! We love you!

Bedtime Stall Tactic #342

2011-02-12T18:36:00.002-06:00

So, I could probably do a whole series on the stall tactics Javen has come up with at bedtime. I know plenty of you have some good stories in this area as well. These kids of ours are preeetty clever.

Tonight? Tonight takes the cake.

Lately Javen's been asking for a good night kiss over and over and over again. He waits until we're at the door to ask for another kiss, as to maximize the stalling time. (Smart little booger!) When that stopped working, he started asking for a bunch of kisses at the same time. Forehead, nose, chin, left cheek, right cheek, left ear, right ear and eskimo kiss.

After going through the 8 kisses tonight I walked to the door.

Javen: "Mama, my ears need kisses!"
Me: "I already kissed your ears, buddy."
Javen: "But the kisses fell off!!!"

I had no comeback to that one. I didn't know kisses could fall off.

Javen: 1
Mama: 0

Just Another Ordinary Tale of Motherhood

2011-02-09T12:43:00.000-06:00

So Liam's teething. Last night he woke up a billion and three times and my groggy mommy brain didn't figure out his teeth were bothering him till around 5am. Poor guy suffered all night. Mommy and Daddy did to, as the only way he would sleep was if he was being held. He's not itty-bitty anymore, so holding him and trying to sleep is not the most comfortable way to go. BUT for the first time in his 12 months on this earth, I actually appreciated the jiggle in my upper arms. They were cushy enough for him to snuggle and promptly fall asleep.

In all other aspects, I hate how my arms look after my pregnancy with Liam. Last night they finally served a useful purpose, and I'm grateful for that. I still want Jennifer Aniston-like toned arms, but I suppose that can wait until Liam's finished cutting his teeth. Because right now on my list of priorities, sleeping is way higher than toned arms.

Despite our sleepless night, I still managed to get the three of us out the door this morning to make my hair appointment. Yes, today I was THAT woman who drags her kids to the hair salon. I had scheduled and re-scheduled 3 or 27 times to get my hair cut only to have my plans thwarted every time by Jake's work schedule. I gave up on the hair cut, but HAD to get my bangs trimmed. They were just too long to handle any more and pinning them back is just not an option. The world does not need to be subject to the massive space between my eyebrows and hairline that is my forehead. It's more like a sevenhead.

I went in armed with sippy cups, snacks, toys, a shark-hatted almost 3 year old and his teething, tired, snotty little brother. I have the best stylist (Kim) in the world. She got Javen set up with some candy in a chair right next to Liam's stroller and had my bangs trimmed in under three minutes. Then she helped Javen put his coat and hat back on, wiped Liam's nose and helped me and my crew out the door.

So yes, I may be exhausted. I may have jiggly arms. I may be covered in snot, assorted breakfast and lunch crumbs and slobber from the teething drool monster. But my bangs are trimmed and I can see.

I think I deserve an award.

Or at least a shower and a nap.

P.S. My computer is still in the shop. No word yet as to when it will be fixed. Fingers crossed it's soon.

MIA

2011-02-05T10:45:00.000-06:00

Hello Blogland! This past week has been really hectic and before I knew it, the week was over and I hadn't even visited my blog once. Friday was going to be our first day this week to actually stay at home and not have anything we HAD to go do. Until Javen knocked my coffee cup, splashing a few drops of coffee onto my computer rendering about four keys useless.

I immediately popped the keys off to dab off any moisture, but fortunately there wasn't much to clean up. After about an hour, two of the keys started working again. I'd been working on a wonky keyboard for a few months with other random annoyances (like keys falling off, the mouse not dragging well, etc) so I decided it was time to back up my files and take the lap top in to be fixed. I should have it back in one to two weeks.

This means:
1. I'm blogging from the hubster's computer.
2. It's an old computer, and can't handle any of my photos.
3. There will be no photos for a little while.
4. We will return to our regularly scheduled (ha) blogging program once my computer has returned to me.

In other news, Liam's walking full time now. He's actually been doing it for a few weeks, but I think I forgot to mention it. It still blows my mind to see my baby toddling around the house.

Javen's just as funny as ever. One of my favorite phrases he's using right now is what he says to Liam whenever he fusses or falls down. "It's aw-wight, buddy." (Pats Liam on the head) "It's aw-wight, bud."

You Have (One) New Message

2011-01-25T20:17:00.000-06:00

Javen has always loved to read. A few months ago we started reading his toddler Bible with him every night before bed. It's hands down his favorite book. He's at the point now where instead of us reading to him, he flips through the Bible and tells us the stories. (I'm a proud Mama.) I love the way he pronouces the names "Joe-fef" (Joseph) and "Go-wy-ef" (Goliath).

I love that he thinks that the lions in the Daniel in the Lion's Den story have big hair. He points that out every night.

I love how he makes me sing the Zaccheaus song every time we turn to that story. I love that he thinks that Jesus told Zaccheus to come down from the tree so he could go to his house to play trains.

"Mama? I wanna go to Za-kees house and pway twains wif dem. I wanna pway twains wif Jesus."

Another one of his favorites is Jonah and the whale. Tonight he pointed to the picture of Jonah on his knees, praying while in the belly of the whale."

"Mama, this is Jonah. He's on his phone getting his message from God."
"He's doing what, buddy?"
"He's getting his message from God. On his phone."

I love that he loves the Bible. Yes, perhaps we have a little clarifying to do about why Jesus wanted to hang out with Zaccheus, and that Jonah didn't get messages from God on his cell phone; but at the end of the day he's developing a love for the Word of God!

Innocent Wonder

2011-01-24T08:45:00.000-06:00

This week at IHF the theme is "innocent wonder." I immediately thought of this photo of Javen and his friend. They LOVE to play in my tupperware cabinet...especially with the door. Open. Shut. Open. Shut. Even at almost 3 years old, they still get a kick out of peek-a-boo. :)

Check out some fantastic "innocent wonder" photos at i heart faces this week!

Cabin Fever

2011-01-23T13:29:00.000-06:00

I'm finally on the mend and cabin fever has set in! I'm also joining in on the "I'm ready for spring" crowd. This gal is ready for some warmer temps so I can take the kiddos outside to play in the sunshine! Until then, I'll just keep flipping through photos from last year's family vacation in the OBX...

Complaining, Naps and Healthy Fries.

2011-01-21T14:12:00.000-06:00

Soooooo.....I'm sick. My voice mysteriously disappeared on Monday and by Tuesday the rest of the symptoms hit me like a ton of bricks. Then another ton of bricks hit me on Wednesday and again Thursday. Today I'm happy to report that I'm no longer getting worse. Hopefully tomorrow will show improvement. It hasn't helped that Jake has had to work late every night this week and has to work this weekend as well. And that I can't breathe enough to be able to sleep at night. I'm literally sick and tired.

Stuff like this REALLY makes me wish I lived closer to family. Thankfully, my awesome neighbors came to the rescue and took the boys yesterday afternoon, fed them dinner, bathed them and had them ready for bed when I went to pick them up. Javen even asked me if he could spend the night over there. :) We are so blessed to have friends in our lives that take care of us in the absence of family.

In other news, Javen has been transitioning into pull-up-less naps. So far he hasn't had one accident during nap time in his boxers. (Yes...he wears boxers. It's SO cute!)

Liam is transitioning from 2 naps per day to 1. Transition being the key phrase. Some days it's one nap, others it's two. Either way you slice it, he's not napping at the same time as Javen any more and that is no good for this girl. Once he gets out of this flip flop phase, you can bet your bottom dollar his one nap will be at the same time as big bro's. He has no choice. It's for my the greater good.

On a random note, I made these Baked Zucchini Fries today for lunch. They were pretty good, but the whole chopping, egging, bread crumbing process took me f o r e v e r. I don't think they were worth the time. To be fair, I only got interrupted about every 2.479 seconds by one of my boys and every 3.621 seconds to have to blow my nose and subsequently wash my hands again. I stopped half way through and baked what I had ready for the oven. The rest of the zucchini is chopped and sitting on my counter top still. Not sure what I'm going to do with that yet. Suggestions?

Happy First Birthday, Liam!

2011-01-18T13:06:00.001-06:00

Liam turned ONE on Saturday. This has been the fastest year of my life. He's such a joy and I'm beyond blessed that God chose me to be his mommy.

Saturday was quite a busy day as we were out running errands and going to a friend's birthday party. Jake had to work most of the day, so we decided not to do anything special. I made cupcakes and the four of us celebrated after dinner on Sunday evening. Just like his big brother, he HATES having messy hands....

(warning: photo overload is about to ensue)

Oh! This looks fun!

It's for me!

Haha! Yes!

Now, if I can just figure out...how do I get this goodness in me?!

Eww!! Get it off my hands! Get it off!

Ok, this is better.

A little messy...

I'll give it another go. This cupcake business is pretty tasty.

Nope! Still don't like it on my hands.

A little help, Dad?

And now my face is a mess too?! Ahhhh!

Well, at least it tastes good.

Mmmmm....

1/15/2011
38% for weight (22lbs)
85% for height (31 inches)
Loves music, books, big brother, dogs, being outside, eating and walking on his own

That Was Fun

2011-01-17T21:39:00.000-06:00

Ok. So today was a bit rough. Javen and Liam were as good as gold, provided the circumstances. I called their doctor in late Nov. to make an appointment for Liam's 1 year well visit this month. (He turned 1 on Saturday! More on that soon...). The only appointment they had available was today at 1:40pm. Prime time Nap time. Ugh.

I tried putting the boys down early for naps, figuring some sleep was better than no sleep. It literally took me twenty minutes to wake Javen. The boy was tired and he was O U T cold. So I load my crew up into the car and head off to Liam's appointment. Here's how it went down:

1:30-Arrive

1:35-Nurse takes us back to exam room and takes Liam's height, weight etc. Mentions that the Dr is running a little behind, but should be in shortly. I'm prepared for a little wait time so I've brought a few books, snacks and toys. This works for about 30 minutes, then Javen is ready to get out of there.

2:00-Still stuck in tiny exam room with two fidgety boys.

2:20- Nurse comes back in to inform me that a news crew is in the office interviewing the Dr. She wants to know if he can come into the room and use some footage of the Dr with my kids.

2:21- I kindly decline and she apologizes for putting me on the spot. Then she leaves.

Side note:: I say no for three reasons ::
1. Liam is half way dressed. I do not want my kids on television without their clothes on.
2. If I say yes, that only makes it that much longer until we get to the actual exam and can get out of there.
3. My kids are tired. I had to wake them up from naps so we could sit and wait. I'm not feeling super co-operative at this point and neither are they.

2:25-The Dr. comes in and the news guy is right behind him. (!!!!) He asks me if the boys can be on TV with him. I decline again and he apologizes for putting me on the spot. The news guy smiles and says it's not a problem, he just wants to get some footage of the Dr. walking into the exam room and closing the door. Fine. Whatever. Can we just get this over with already?

2:31- The Dr. has given Liam the once over and is walking out the door as I'm in mid-question. I only have maybe 3 things I want to ask him and he literally walks out on me.

2:36- Buckle kids into carseats.

2:40- Bang head on steering wheel in frustration/exhaustion.

So glad I had the opportunity to wake my kids up from their naps so we could sit and wait in a tiny room for an hour.

That was fun.

Snow Days

2011-01-17T17:58:00.000-06:00

Last week was quite the winter wonderland here in Nashville. We played outside in it every day! I didn't take my camera out every time, but did manage to snap a few shots of Javen before the snow falling onto my lens forced me to take the camera indoors.

Javen was OBSESSED with trying to mow the snow, which proved quite difficult as 4ish inches of snow packed on around the wheels. Look how hard he's working!

For more winter wonderland entries, be sure to head over to IHF!

P.S. I just have to share this photo...which is one of my favs right now. He's also obsessed with his new shark hat and wears it indoors as well. (Hello...sweaty!!) I think I'll call this one "Snow Shark".

To Do:

2011-01-12T12:10:00.000-06:00

If I had all the time in the world (or more time that I did presently) these are a few of the projects I would be tackling right about....now.

Linen Wreath from Beautiful Nest. My bedroom walls are begging for some decor and this would be perfect!

Built in bookcases similar to the ones that Until Tomorrow, Val made. Swoon!

And if we had a basement, I would totally want to make a SLIDE like Decor Allure did. How COOL is this? (Jeff, can you make good on your promise and dig me a basement? Pleeeeease?)

Alas, my current projects aren't quite as fun as the above mentioned (well a couple are) but we're getting things done around here that NEED to be done. Until then, I'll just keep a nice little list of future projects I'd like to accomplish. Just don't tell Jake. He already thinks my current "to do" list is crazy enough. :)

Monday Smiles

2011-01-10T08:49:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've joined in on IHF, and I'm excited to jump back in! This week's theme is smile, and I'm just in love with this recent photo of my black bean covered happy Liam. I can't get enough of this toothy grin!

For more fun with smiles, go check out all the other entries at i heart faces.

Pardon the Dust...

2011-01-08T22:26:00.001-06:00

So I'm working on a little bloggity redesign. Thing is: I have no idea what I'm doing! If anyone has some tips on creating headers, buttons etc, I'm all ears. Till then, I'll be doing some online searching for tutorials and making changes here as I go.

Also, I know new posts around here have been few and far between. I've got a few different things going on that are taking up my usual blogging time. Don't worry...the camera is still snapping away and the boys are still as funny as ever so when I return from my other time consuming projects there will be plenty of material to catch up on.

Child Prodigy?

2011-01-08T20:37:00.001-06:00

Javen and Liam got an easel for Christmas from Papa and Grandma McD. Liam always watches intently when Javen paints and colors, so one day after Javen finished, Liam crawled over to the paint brush and I decided to see what he did...

Ok...just have to get some paint on this thingy...

Hmmm...what to paint? What to paint?

And a little over here, some green over there...

A little splatter never hurt anyone! Creative genius at work here...

Mom, want to see my art?

...and that's the point where I decided to ditch my monochromatic plans and add a shade of indigo. I really think it drives home the expressionism of the piece. What do you think, Mama?

Today

2011-01-03T19:55:00.000-06:00

Today we played with every toy in the house while wearing the new shark fleece hat.

Today black beans were on the menu for afternoon snack time.

Today Liam gave me a bloody fat lip when he smacked me in the face with Javen's fireman helmet. But I'll spare you all a photo. It wasn't pretty.

Christmas Take II

2010-12-29T18:24:00.001-06:00

Papa and Grandma McD are here and have turned our living room into Toys R Us....

Needless to say, we've been a little busy this week. I'll be back soon!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T19:19:00.000-06:00

A couple of days before Christmas I took Javen to get a hair cut. We came home with a faux hawk, and he was SO excited about it.

Did I mention he's entered the "I want to dress myself" phase? Just thought I'd throw that out there in case you thought my sense of fashion went out the window. The outfit was completed by blue jeans and snow boots. I didn't argue. At least this time everything was right side out and not backwards.

Also, this is the face I get when I ask for a smile. Awesome.

Santa came!

Christmas morning this year was SO fun. Javen opened everyone's presents. Liam chewed on bows and climbed boxes and pushed them around the living room. The boys big gift this year was a Hummer and it was a HUGE hit! (My big gift to Jake and his to me was our new floors and rug.)

And the present he'd been waiting for: Mr. Potato Head!

My First Christmas!

The best gift hands down is spending time as a family. Jake got the week off...which is a Christmas miracle!

Santa Take II

2010-12-20T14:03:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we decided to have a fun Saturday morning treat and go get some donuts. We ran into Jolly Saint Nick who was ready to welcome Javen with a "candy umbrella." Javen told him about Mr.Potato head and was happy to chat about Christmas for a few minutes.

Since Liam wasn't too crazy about the big guy in the red coat last time, we decided to let him stay on Daddy's lap for a photo. At this point, Javen was completely focused on his candy cane. Liam didn't get upset about his proximity to Santa, but definitely kept an eye on him the whole time.

I've got my eye on you, Santa. Watch it!

Merry Christmas!

Cookies

2010-12-17T18:13:00.000-06:00

Javen and I made chocolate chip cookies yesterday. He was quite the little helper...

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-15T13:56:00.000-06:00

Sneak peek of our Christmas card this year...

Merry Christmas from the McD family!

With Love Blue Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Hi

2010-12-14T15:04:00.000-06:00

This month life has sped up by 10x. I don't know why! Anyway...a million funny things happen about every hour of every day and I think to myself "I should blog about this" and then before I know it a week has gone by and I have yet to sit down at the computer.

Sorry about that.

A collection of random thoughts:

Javen had an accident the other day. This is rare. (THANK THE LORD!) However, he happened to be standing by the Christmas tree and the tree skirt took the brunt of the accident, leaving it pee soaked. It's not exactly a washable material. I think we may be in the market for a new tree skirt...

Liam can walk but he doesn't know it.

Javen has developed the thickest little southern accent and I can't figure out why?! Jake and I don't have one. (Note to self: Get Javen talking on video.) The most southern words are:

Hey-yelp (help)

heel (hill)

Wheel (Will...his buddy)

en thar (in there)

I gave Liam his rice in a bowl last night, handed him a spoon and let him at it. Here's how it went down:

This morning was Javen's preschool Christmas party. I had baked our contribution to the party brunch last night, wrapped the presents for his friends and had everything packed up and everyone bundled up to get in the car. We were loading up a little early so we could pick up our neighbors down the street and head to this week's location for school.

Side note: We do a home school type pre-school once a week. Very informal. Three Mom's, three 2 year olds and three almost 1 year olds. We rotate houses every week.

So, we're outside getting in the mini van. It won't start. Dead to the freezing world. Poor van. It's from Florida, so it's probably freaking out over these sub zero temps. My neighbors come over to my house and we try to get a hold of our friend that lives 20 min away. Only she's having a crazy morning herself. One of the buildings in her apartment complex is on fire. There are fire trucks everywhere and the parking lot has iced over. It takes her an hour to get here. (Her building is safe from the fire.)

The best thing about our late start is now that everyone has gone home it's nap time and my boys are WORN OUT. (Hence me being able to actually sit down and blog.)

A few photos from all the cuteness this morning? Sure, why not!?

Probably planning to take over the world some day...

Javen and T playing in the tupperware cabinet

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and blowing out candles

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T16:12:00.000-06:00

Sweet Dreams/Hey Santa!

2010-12-04T20:50:00.000-06:00

We are having the best weekend.

Last night we tried to go see Santa at the mall after Jake got off work, but the line was soooooo long. Instead, we stood by the "Meet Santa" exit and Javen yelled "Hey Santa! I want pweasents for Chwismas! And Mr. Tato Head! (Mr. Potato Head) Hey Santa! Mewwy Chwismas!" Liam just pointed at everything and jabbered on excitedly.

On the way out of the mall we passed one of those chocolate Christmas candy kiosks where they were handing out free samples. Javen got a chocolate lollipop, but never got to finish it...

This morning we ran a couple errands and then decided to swing by the library....and I'm SO glad we did! Santa and the Mrs. were there for pictures. He wanted to know what the boys wanted for Christmas and she handed out candy canes. (Or as Javen calls them "Candy Umbrellas.") They had different stations for face painting, letters to Santa, balloons and quite the cookie and juice spread...all for FREE!

Even Liam got in on the face painting action...

Would you believe this was the ONE day I leave the house without my camera?! I was SO mad! Jake even forgot his phone (which has a pretty good camera on it for a phone) so we were left with my sub-par camera phone for the Santa photo-op. Poor Liam had missed his morning nap, and was a happy camper as long as Mama was holding him.

Sorry Santa! Nothing personal!

Despite the poor photo quality, I LOVE this picture. Could it be any funnier?

Kitchen Disasters Part II

2010-12-03T14:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I decided to make some Christmas cookies. I'd been promising Javen for over a week that we should make them together. After a little PW search I found these.

Here's a list of what went wrong:

1. The recipe calls for shortening (yuck) which I never use. My Granny gave me most of the contents of her pantry when I moved to TN a little over 5 years ago and I inherited the largest container of Crisco known to man. Don't ask me why I've kept it all these years. (Granny, I guess that's a bit of you coming out in me? Holding on to pantry goods forever? Haha) Anyway, did you know that shortening can expire!? It's possible! It turns into this petroleum smelling super glue like substance. So yes, apparently shortening can be even more disgusting than it already is.

That should have been my first clue to quit while I was ahead. I substituted butter for the shortening and moved on to the next step...

2. Lemon zest. This is where I proceeded to zest my fingers off. (Slight exaggeration.) Only 2 fingers....and really one finger was only a nick. The other finger got the brunt of the zester. (Note to self: pitch zester.) I knew it was bad before I even looked down to see my blood dripping on the counter. My head started spinning, my body started shaking and I felt immediately drained of all energy. I thought I was going to pass out, so I sat down on the floor and texted my friend Erin, and called Jake. Somewhere in the midst of all this I managed to grab a couple paper towels and apply pressure to my throbbing finger. Javen (who was helping in the baking process) abandoned ship and went in the living room to play trains. Long story short, we deducted stitches were not in order for me to keep my finger and I pressed on with the cookies despite the pain.

I realize I may sound a bit dramatic about my reaction to this injury. I'm normally not such a wuss, but this gash just shook me to the core. I guess I zested a pretty deep wound as my finger is purple today...moving on.

3. Liam woke up from his nap and the boys played while I had my back turned and all attention on rolling out dough and cutting Christmas shapes. They simply destroy the house. Every toy they own is on the living room floor. The contents of my tupperware cabinet are strewn about the kitchen. Lunch crumbs are tossed about. My house has never looked so bad. But they're entertaining themselves so I do my best to take advantage.

Side note: See the floors? If you squint and tilt your head just right you can make it out underneath all those toys. Gross carpet is gone!

The cookies are finally in the oven and I step back to further survey the damage.

Yikes. Notice the open empty cabinet? That's where the tupperware belongs. Yes, the laptop is essential for baking. Pandora and the PW Cooks website.

A few things about the above photo:

1. Apple juice is not part of the recipe for cookies. It is part of the recipe for happy, hydrated children.

2. Empty glass pickle and other assorted jars are for a Christmas project in the works.

3. I just bought that rolling pin two days ago. Before the rolling pin I'd used a round glass cup. For 5 years. I'm like a bonafide baker now, right?

4. The recipe only yielded about 18 cookies. I should have doubled it. Also, maybe it's due to how much I resent these cookies for causing me to (nearly) lose a finger and destroy the cleanliness of my house, but I just don't think they taste that great. At least...not great enough to warrant the mess I had to clean up.

Next time, I'm marching myself right down to Kroger, picking up a roll of pre-made sugar cookie dough and poppin' those suckers in the oven.

It just goes to prove what I've always known about desserts: If it doesn't involve chocolate, it's not worth the time, effort and calories.

Amen.

Kitchen Disasters: Part I

2010-12-02T23:13:00.000-06:00

I'm still here. I don't know why, but it's been so difficult to find time to blog lately! This week has been typical in that no day is typical.

On Monday night Jake inadvertantly tried to make fried calamari. Yes, you read that correctly.

I had mentioned to him that I wanted to wash the boys bath toys, so after baths that night Jake brought their toys downstairs and tried to find room for them in our already full dishwasher. Finding no room on the top rack he placed them on the bottom, programed the dishwasher to start in 4 hours, then he went upstairs to shower and go to bed.

When I run the dishwasher I always turn the heated dry cycle off. It saves energy which equals saved money. Jake doesn't know about this little habit of mine, thus the fate of Mr. Ocotpus becoming the late night special.

He landed on the heat coil and Jake actually had to cut him off as the plastic had hardened around the coil.

Upon opening the dishwasher the next morning, I found smoke stained cutlery and a stinky kitchen. I had to run two vinegar cycles to get the smell out of the washer and off the dishes and have had to hand polish/scrub about every fork, knife and spoon we own.

Never a dull moment.

Seafood, anyone?

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2010-11-28T20:35:00.000-06:00

Aaaaaand we're back. We spent Thanksgiving with Jake's family in IL this year. Javen went up last Sunday and was there without us until we arrived Wednesday night. (!!!) He had a blast and I don't think he even missed us. :) Liam and I had some great one-on-one time while Javen was playing with Papa and Grandma.

Tonight we decorated our Christmas tree as a family of four for the first time. Here's a little photo recap of what went down:

Javen got right to it. He had some practice with decorating Grandma's tree a couple days ago, so by now he's a pro.

Liam decided to take inventory of the ornament box. He also decided that he no longer needs to hold on to anything in order to stand. He pretty much stood up unassisted the entire time.

Jake and Javen discussed placement options for all the super hero ornaments.

Such a proud Dad.

Liam found a good box to chew on while he tried to figure out what Dad and Javen were up to.

"Oh! So we're putting these things ON the tree? Got it."

What a good little helper.

Liam decided to give Jake a few pointers. "Look at that spot you missed up there, Dad!"

"A little to the left..."

"Perfect!"

Laughter

2010-11-21T16:36:00.000-06:00

Apparently I serve the funniest applesauce in town...

Again, I have no idea why posting videos on my blog causes a sound delay? If I could fix it, I would!

7 Things

2010-11-19T14:18:00.001-06:00

Oh, hey Friday! Where did you come from? This week has been incredibly long and fast at the same time. Quick recap.

1. Javen and potty training = all systems are a go. He's still in pull-ups for naps and night time, but we've overcome the #2 obstacle and I don't even have to cart the frog potty with me every time we leave the house. It's wonderful!!

2. Both boys have runny noses (I think it's because of the weather, they're not actually sick). Come to find out, when I hold a tissue up to 10 month on Liam's nose, he blows! Smarty pants.

3. Still sleeping through the night. Awesome. I'm a new woman. Believe it or not, the most pleasant baby on the planet is now even happier. I didn't even know that was possible!

4. Javen is getting ready to go spend a few days with his Grandparents in IL...WITHOUT me and Jake! He's never spent the night anywhere without us before so it's a big first. He couldn't be more excited! I just don't know how Liam is going to do...going 3 whole days without his playmate/favorite person in the world. Play date anyone?

5. Word on the street is that tomorrow from 2-5pm Starbucks is having a buy one get one sale on their holiday drinks. Peppermint Mocha's for everyone!!!

6. After searching the house over for a missing sippy cup this morning, I didn't find it in any of the usual spots. I gave up the search and opened up the entertainment center to put some mindless TV on while doing the dishes. Low and behold, theTV is the newest hiding spot for sippy cups. You heard it here first.

7. Tis the season for Christmas cards. I've been working on my photos from our little shoot with the boys last weekend and Shutterfly has some cute templates this year! I've never used their site before, but I love that I can play around with customizing different cards without having to sign in or sign up for an account. It's so user friendly! (If you want to save or order your cards, you need to sign in.) I'm always a little leery of ordering photos/prints from online sources, but enough of my friends have recommended this site that I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Here are a few of my favorite designs:

Obviously, these are not photos of my children. But you get the idea. :)

They also have address labels, invites and other photo gift ideas. You can view the cards here, or just go to their homepage and explore all the options.

Right now Shutterfly is giving free shipping on orders of $30 or more if you use the coupon code SHIP30 at checkout. AND if you're a blogger, they have a promotion right now for 50 free cards. Visit the Shutterfly blog http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/ for details.

:::::::::::::::::::::

I wasn't paid for my opinions on Shutterfly, but I will be receiving free cards for my post. Just keepin' it real. :)

Good Days

2010-11-15T20:56:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend! We spent most of Saturday running errands and hanging out as a family. On Sunday we had a great lunch after church. I made The Pioneer Woman's green bean casserole which was AMAZING and I don't even like green bean casserole! (I don't like bacon, so I left that part out. Jake still approved and Javen even gobbled it down!) It was pretty much gone before I even thought to take a photo, so here is what PW's looks like. Mine was similar- I used crunchy onions instead of panko bread crumbs.

Image found here

Then we headed out to a local park to do a little photo shoot with the boys. No preview of the photos today...I'm saving them for Christmas cards. :) Then it was back to the kitchen for me. This time apple pie (also from The Pioneer Woman) and dinner.

Image found here

I'm telling you, PW is batting 1000 when it comes to recipes. I have yet to try one we don't like. Maybe that's because ingredients always include lots of butter, cream and milk. I do have one tiny bone to pick with the apple pie recipe above. The ingredients didn't include cinnamon. How can you make apple pie with no cinnamon? I had to throw some in for good measure...and good pie. I decision I do not regret. :)

Today the boys and I had a great morning. Now that Liam sleeps through the night a good 10-12 hours it makes my attitude and energy during the day SO much better. After his morning nap the boys and I headed to the grocery store for a very successful trip. They were so good - such an easy and fun trip together. During their nap time I made some homemade organic chocolate syrup. All I can say, is after you make your own syrup from scratch...Hershey's is for the dogs.

On our way home from the grocery store I stopped by Starbucks to get a Peppermint Mocha (my Starbucks vice). As we pulled into the drive-thru lane Javen pipes up from the back seat, "Mama! I need a Mocha, pweeeeease? Mocha, Mom!"

Just to clarify, I have never given this child a coffee drink in any shape or form. Also, my usual Starbucks intake is 1 drink a month. When it comes to Peppermint Mochas...I fall weak at the knees. Especailly when it's cold out. I think I've had 4 this month already.

Tis the season?

Ok, I guess I'll show you one photo from our Christmas card shoot yesterday. Only because this one isn't going on the card.

I think.

If you get this photo in the mail, just act like you haven't seen it before, Ok? Thanks.

PB Knock Off Christmas Ornament Wreath

2010-11-13T09:19:00.001-06:00

I was flipping through the new Pottery Barn Christmas catalogue when I came across this wreath:

It's $79. Yikes.

So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I ended up with this for less than $20! Believe it or not, it only took about half an hour to assemble.

I started with a plain wreath from Target. It was on sale for $12 and some change.

Then I gathered my ornaments. I chose different shades and sizes of green. Some from Target dollar section, some from Hobby Lobby 50% off.

I attached them to the wreath using ornament hooks. (Those were free from our stash of Christmas decorations in the attic. I think they originally cost 99 cents for the entire pack.) Just wrap each hook around a branch a few times to make sure it won't fall off. (That's right, you don't even need a glue gun to make this beauty. Booya.)

The finished product again:

Once I hung it on the door I fluffed some of the branches and moved some of them around until I liked the way everything was laying. When I tried to close the storm door I found that my wreath was too big to fit between my two doors. I guess this one will be hanging inside and it's back to the drawing board as to what will adorn the front door. I think I'm up for the task. I love a good wreath challenge!

Linking up!

49

2010-11-12T23:30:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the new Best Buy commercial? A young mother walks up to the Geek Squad counter with one baby on her hip, holding her toddler's hand, carrying a diaper bag and lap top. The Geek Squad Guy (GSG) asks how he can help her. She smiles one of those exhausted, desperate smiles and says "My little helper decided to remove a few keys from my lap top. I have the Black Tie protection plan. Can you help?"

The GSG's eyes get really big as he looks down at her lap top. One of his associates comes to his side, looks at the computer and the baggie full of computer keys, looks at her, then looks at the toddler. The toddler looks the man in the eye and says, "Mommy's 'puter bwoken. I bwoke her 'puter. It's a no-no."

GSG #2 doubles over in laughter. He can barely speak. He stands up straight to talk to the young mother, but opens his mouth only to double over in laughter again.

"49" she says. "He removed 49 keys."

Only, this is not an actual Best Buy commercial. It just felt like one.

The GSG's were really funny and sweet about the whole thing, and pretty sympathetic as they had little boys of their own. Even though I'm pretty sure my protection plan doesn't cover toddler destruction, they still fixed it for free.

49 keys. 49.

Oh Javen.

"I sorry, Mama. I sorry. Daddy fix it?"

Food. It's What's for Dinner.

2010-11-10T11:15:00.000-06:00

Liam has never really liked baby food and I've tried it in all forms and flavors (homemade and store bought.) After he had the stomach bug he refused anything except breast milk and cheerios. So I just quit trying with the baby food and now he is eating whatever we eat. (In addition to breast feeding. I have a feeling weaning this one in a few months is going to be tough.)

It's WONDERFUL. He's like a bottomless pit. I think his favorite so far is pumpkin pie...though he did enjoy that spaghetti last night...

And guess what? Last night...he slept through the night and I slept till 8 AM. (Well, Javen was in bed with me around 7, but Jake put Caillou on the computer so he was a happy camper.)

Cue the hallelujah chorus.

I even made muffins for breakfast to celebrate. The 3 of us chowed down on the same breakfast. I LOVE not having to prepare separate meals anymore. All 4 of us eat the same foods at the same time. (Ok, obviously Liam can't have everything we eat, but most foods work out.)

BTW...My friend Amanda just wrote a great post on baby food that you should give a read if you're in the baby food phase of life. She hit the nail on the head.

In other news, while I was doing dishes yesterday morning during Liam's nap, I looked up to find Javen ~~playing~~ working? in the living room. It was too cute not to grab my camera. I tried really hard not to let him know I was snapping his photo.

But he caught me.

Oh Naptime

2010-11-08T13:55:00.000-06:00

It's naptime. My floors are so clean you could eat off of them. (But if you do, I'll kick your behind for messing up my clean floors. No, wait, I won't. As soon as Javen and Liam are awake they'll be spilling and eating off my clean floors. Why did I just clean my floors again?)

So a funny thing happened this morning. Liam and I were working on some photos on the computer like this one:

Javen was playing quietly with his toys. Except that he wasn't really playing quietly with his toys. He was stripping down naked, putting Daddy's flip flops on and sneaking out the front door. I caught him stark naked in the driveway when I heard the front door slam. I quickly ran outside to retrieve him and our conversation went a little something like this:

Me: (Trying SO hard to choke back the laughter) Javen? What are you doing, bud?

Javen: I go to store, Mama!

Me: Why are you going to the store? And where are your clothes? (I'm crying at this point because I just can't keep back the laughter)

Javen: I go to store Mama. I need stickers. My stickers all gone!

Me: But you're naked!

Javen: Yeah?

Me: And you're not supposed to go outside without asking Mommy first.

Javen: I sorry Mama, I sorry. I go to store and get stickers?

Me: No bud, you have to come inside and get dressed. (Snicker snicker)

In other news what is up with the whole daylight savings thing? WORST IDEA EVER. I received a nice reminder email from the preschool program at church telling us not to forget to set back the clocks. It read:

Don't Forget!!!

Daylight Saving Time ENDS Saturday night.

Be sure to set your clocks BACK one hour before going to bed Saturday..or you will be VERY EARLY for church!

Enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

Yeah, because our little ones are really going to let us take advantage of the "extra hour".
Ha. Haha. Hahaha.
Good one.

My Joy(s)

2010-11-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

I've never met a happier baby. Never.

Even on my most frustrating, long and tiring days- all he has to do is flash me that toothy grin and those baby blues and in that instant the world around me melts away...

And that big brother of his? Don't even get me started. That's a whole other post entirely.

My boys. My joys.

The Face

2010-11-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

Here's the face I was talking about earlier. He's trying so hard not to smile...little goober!

I Have Funny Kids

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

The boys have been up to some cute stuff.

First of all there's Buzz and Alvin (imaginary cat and blue pig that now live with us.)

Secondly, Liam has been saying his own version of Javen's name for quite a while (maybe a couple months) but only in the past few weeks have I picked up on it. He calls Javen "JJ". It's completely un-prompted from us. It's adorable how excited he gets when Javen plays with him or walks in the room and Liam says it over and over with the biggest smiles for his brother. Best buds, for sure.

Oh, and the face. How could I forget the face? Liam's become really expressive over the past few weeks and he has this one look that cracks us up every time. He makes it when he wants to smile or thinks something is funny but tries his best to hide his amusement. And seeing as I just put him down for his morning nap, I'll have to get the photo later.

In the mean time, here's this one from a couple weeks ago of my happy lil fella.

In other funny kid news. Javen's newest obsession is Target. It's a daily request from him that we go. I love how he always asks Liam if he's interested as well. The conversation usually goes something like this:

J: Wanna go Target Weeum? Target?!

L: JJ!! JJ!!

J: Pway wif toys at Target, Weeum? Wets go, Weeum!

L: JJ! JJ!

J: Mom, wets go Target. Pwease?

Me: Ok, bud. Let's pick up your toys and go potty first.

J: Cwean up! Cwean up! Come on, Weeum. Pick up you toys. Go Target!

L: JJ! JJ!

Excuse me while I go get dressed. I have a feeling that when Liam wakes up, we may have to make a trip to Target....

Bugged

2010-11-03T18:27:00.000-05:00

After one day home with healthy kids, the stomach bug claimed it's next victim yesterday evening: me. Jake was leaving work and going to vote when I called him and told him to skip the voting and get home pronto. As he walked in the door and got hugs from the boys I bee lined it for the bathroom.

I'm really bummed we didn't get to vote, but there was no possible way I was leaving this house! Jake has been such a wonderful husband/father today. I've been in bed ALL day long feeling to weak to even lift my head and he's been downstairs with the kiddos having a Daddy day.

It's a 24 hour bug, so I should be up and running in the morning.

Now that our travels and days of puking are over I'm hoping to get back on track with my blog posts. I still have this gorgeous new floor to show off (though I'm still on the hunt for the perfect rug). And I have to introduce you to Alvin, the imaginary blue pig that is best friends with Buzz (Javen's imaginary black cat).

Never a dull moment around here.

Deep Breath

2010-11-02T10:11:00.001-05:00

These past 5 days are the biggest blur of a "weekend" I've ever known.

Long story short:
Beautiful wedding waaay up North. (Congrats Q&A!)

BOTH boys caught the stomach bug going around in northern IL. LOTS of puking. Not so much ring bearer-ing.

Hate being so helpless to make my boys feel better.

So much for taking a billion photos as I had planned.

Very little sleep for this Mama and Daddy.

Wouldn't have survived without the help of Grandma, Papa and Aunt Monica.

Total round trip hours in the car: 20+

So happy to be home with two healthy kids.
If I never get thrown up on again, it will be too soon.

::shudder::

I'd like to sleep for a year, please?

I Hope They Didn't Delete My Blog Account Due to Inactivity...

2010-10-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

What a long week. Jake wasn't home at all last week because of work (hence the lack of blogging) and I'm exhausted to the point of having no voice left. It makes parenting a 2 year old quite challenging.

So lets catch up a bit...
On Friday Liam took his first step and he doesn't even know it. He was cruising along the bench in our foyer and I was sitting near him. When he got to the end of the bench, he just let go, reached both arms towards me and took a step! I turned to Jake (who was laying down the last few planks of our new floor!!!) and told him what happened. Then we proceeded to laugh at the thought of seeing such a tiny person actually able to walk around on his own. Possible? Maybe.

So yeah, the new floor is in! Last weekend Jake ripped up the living room carpet and foyer linoleum and installed laminate flooring. It's like a whole new house and I LOVE it! We still have to paint and install the quarter round, but it may be a few weeks before that happens. This weekend we'll be busy getting ready for next weekend...Jake's brother's wedding!

Next weekend we'll be near Chicago for Q and A's wedding and we couldn't be more excited for them. Jake is the best man, I'm a bridesmaid and Javen is the ring bearer. I'm trying to prep Javen for this role and he seems pretty excited about it. "Mama, I the bear! Roaaaar!" Hmmm...may need some more prepping still. Check out the beautiful bride's maid dress I get to wear:

She did such a great job picking out brides maid dresses, I just know the rest of the wedding will be gorgeous!

Next weekend is also our 5th wedding anniversary! We decided not to do anything to celebrate this year since we'll be busy traveling and such. I even let Jake off the hook and told him: NO GIFTS. I just got new floors, so what more could a girl want? Turns out I'm not very good at following my "no gift" rule. I thought since he's always been in charge of anniversary ideas/gifts for the past four years, and since he'll be busy with best man duties this year, that I would surprise him with a gift. We're going to see Brian Regan at the Ryman in January. He's Jake's favorite comedian so it should be a fun night! (If you've never heard Brian Regan, google him. He's funny without being raunchy!)

In other news, Amy totally called me out the the kitchen table makeover. My finished table was in the video of Liam shaking his head "no" and she caught it! I haven't posted on it yet A) because the past few weeks have not allotted much blogging time B) the chairs aren't done yet, so I've debated about waiting until the entire project is finished and C) I haven't taken any photos of it yet.

Actually, I think an entire week has gone by and I haven't picked up the camera once. I can hardly believe it myself. Our house has been a bit of a construction zone and I tucked the camera away to keep it from all the dust. Anyway, here's the table before:

Aaaand after. (Please note there is no fancy decorative "stageing" for the following photos. This is my table and it is clean, so that's as fancy as it's going to get around here these days.) :)

Painted black, distressed

and beat up (that part was fun!)

Still have to tackle the chairs, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out, especially since it's my first time making over any furniture...

New floor photos to come soon. Every time I go to take a photo, the floor is covered in toys!

More?

2010-10-21T18:06:00.000-05:00

Asking Liam if he wants more or if he's all done...

Punkin

2010-10-19T12:57:00.000-05:00

Anyone still out there? I don't know what it is, but lately it's been so hard for me to find time to blog! I can't even remember the last time I was able to play along in an i heart faces weekly challenge. This week's theme is orchard, and even though a pumpkin patch isn't technically an orchard, it's as close as we're going to get.

I think I may have to get this printed on canvas...I just love it. Liam's first trip to the pumpkin patch!

For more orchard photos head over to i heart faces!

Is This A Dream?

2010-10-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here pinching myself for two reasons:

1. Liam woke up THREE times last night (???) and Jake didn't get home from work till around 1AM so I didn't get much sleep. Coffee has been a necessary part of my day today.

2. Javen just walked up the stairs (asked me to follow), took off his pants, handed me a pull up, asked me to help him put it on, climbed into bed, asked for a drink, laid down and went to sleep. VOLUNTARILY. He knew it was time for a nap without a reminder from me. Clearly, I must be dreaming. ::pinch pinch::

So Javen has been cracking me up lately. Apparently we now own a cat. He's imaginary, which is good, because I'm allergic to the breed that is real. Our kitty cat's name is "Buzz" and he his black with white stripes. Favorite activities include hiding under tables and tickling us. Javen loves to chase him around the room. I'm ok with our new resident as long as I don't find any imaginary poop on my carpet.

Did I tell you about the imaginary poop around here? (Because apparently there isn't enough of the real stuff to deal with on a daily basis.) Elmo has been pooping. This is what Javen tells me:

"Oh NO! Elmo poo poo! I wipe him bottom. (Goes to get a wipe, diaper and balmex. I frantically run behind him to snatch away the balmex.) Yucky! It's a big one! (Thanks for the play by play, son.) He needs a pull up. All better!"

Elmo isn't the only culprit. There's also Spider Man, Pongo (the dog from 101 Dalmatians) and Baby Pirate Larry. After he "wipes him bottom" he puts Elmo (or whoever just got changed) down for a nap and says "Sweet Dweams! I wuv you!" then tells me to be quiet so I don't wake them up. He runs a tight ship, that boy of mine.

He also gets quite concerned whenever we run out of any kind of food (bread, yogurt, crackers, grapes and craisens mainly). Upon discovering that we need more he will promptly run to the door, put on Jake's shoes and announce he is going to work.

"Bye Mom! I wuv you! I go work and pic. (paint). I go work and go store to get bread. Bye. I work."

At least he understands why Daddy has to leave every day to work. Apparently he doesn't think Daddy is doing a good enough job to make sure that we never run out of his favorite foods.

Oh, and Javen's reading choices as of late are a bit unusual for the typical 2 year old. His go-to daily reads are my Pottery Barn Kids catalogue and latest issue of Islands Magazine. Before you get too concerned about his Pottery Barn fetish, let me just give you a glimpse of his favorite two pages to look at:

Seriously. I have the funniest kid.

The House of Healthy (and giveaway winner)

2010-10-14T09:05:00.000-05:00

So it turns out the Dr gave Javen a wrong diagnosis...but this time, it's a good thing! As soon as we got home yesterday morning, I could tell he was feeling better, but had prepared myself for pukefest 2010 as the Dr told me he'd being doing that for at least 24 hours.

After a light lunch and a nap he woke up his normal energetic HUNGRY self. I still aired on the side of caution when it came to what foods he could eat, but he was honestly fine the rest of the day.

I think my dad had the best theory of what was wrong with him: He didn't have a bug, he probably ate a few bugs.

Anyway, I'm just thankful that he's all better and nobody around here is dealing with any stomach issues. Poor Liam's rash is worse today, but he's none the wiser. I mean, just look at these cuties playing together this morning:

Anyway...on to the winner of the 31 Gifts giveaway! I used random.org to generate a random winner (btw if anyone can let me in on how to get a screen grab of the results, I would be forever grateful!) and the winner is:

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1
Max: 17
Result: 12

Congrats, Jamie! Look for an email from me today so I can put you in touch with Lindsey!

Also, if anyone would like to place an order, you can reach Lindsey at lindsey.leanne (at) gmail (dot) com.

Never A Dull Moment

2010-10-13T13:42:00.000-05:00

Shhhhhh! Do you hear that? No? It's because there is nothing to hear. The boys are asleep and it has been one. long. morning.

Yesterday morning we noticed a rash on Liam's back, but he had no fever and no other symptoms. I called the doctor and left a message before they were even open that morning. Around 2pm I still hadn't heard from anyone, so I called back. They said they would have a nurse call me. I never heard anything all day.

This morning Javen comes into our room around 6 and complains of a stomach ache, but quickly falls asleep cuddled up next to Jake. Later that morning Jake leaves for work and Javen throws up. I clean him up. He throws up. All color in his face is gone and he's laying on our bathroom floor covered in a bath towel. He doesn't want to move. Just pitiful.

I call the doctor and tell them that now BOTH boys are sick and I am coming in. They tell me they had a cancellation and that they can squeeze us in. (I'm thinking, THAT'S RIGHT YOU'LL SQUEEZE US IN!)

Javen throws up in the car on the way to the doctor's. (I packed extra clothes for ALL of us, just in case! And the laundry is in full swing now.) Turns out he has a 24 hour stomach bug that's been going around. Liam has a virus, but the only symptom is slight fever and rash so there is no need to worry. He's only contagious for the next 7-10 days to other babies 7-13 months old.

No church this week. No MOPS next week. It's just me stuck at home with the two sickies and a mini van that needs an oil change. :)

I'm going to chose to look at the bright side here. Both boys are going to be fine. And at least there is no poop on my carpet! (Here's to hoping I didn't speak to soon this time!)

Speaking of my poop stained carpet....its days are numbered. New floors soon!!! (Can you tell I'm excited??)

And here's a little Javen photo fix for the day...(pointing to an airplane).

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

Hello?

2010-10-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

I've been a bit disjointed from blogging lately. (Not by choice!) I miss it! I don't have any amazing reason/story why my attention has been other places...it feels like these past few weeks have been happening at turbo speed.

Anyhoo, this past weekend we enjoyed a visit from Grandma McD and Jake and I were able to get lots accomplished around the house and even went out on a date! It also dawned on me why after every visit from Grandma and Grandpa I look through my photos to find maybe one from the entire visit...while they ~~babysit~~ play with the kids, Jake and I are busy getting things done around the house and the camera gets neglected!

Grandma and Liam

We also had an amazing breakfast yesterday with my college/blogging friend, Amanda and her hubby and sweet children. They were driving through town back up North and were able to stop by for a short visit. The kids had a blast (as we knew they would). I can't wait to see them again in a few weeks!

Breakfast Buddies

Little brother's gotta stick together!

Big C

I have the prettiest friends!!!

Don't worry, I'll update you on our fun house projects soon. (One of which is that I finished my kitchen table! Yay!)

Oh, and if you missed it when I posted the other day, don't forget to enter the 31 giveaway! You don't have to have a blog to enter, just an email address so I can contact you if you win! Winner will be announced on Thursday. Click here to enter!

Last Week's Manic Monday

2010-10-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

Finding time to blog lately has been difficult. I've been to busy or tired to spend much time at the computer. I have started a few posts but never finished, so here's one I started writing on the 4th that never got published...it was a rough Monday...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Good morning, blogosphere! I took a little break from the computer this weekend on the account of Jake being home! We had some great family time, but now he's back to work and my house has been turned upside down- in a good way. I'll explain, but first things first.

Happy 21st Birthday to my baby sister, Kendra! Can you believe she's that old? I can't. Also, I'm trying to find a recent photo of her, but since I haven't seen her since July, it's proving quite difficult.

Dear Kendra, come visit. We need some new pics of you and the boys and we love you!

Today (already) has been nothing short of manic. Liam is teething and waking up frequently at night in pain. This morning Javen woke up, came in our room and found the bottle of homeopathic medicine that I keep handy at night to help relieve Liam's pain. He consumed the entire bottle before we woke up. (Apx 230 dissolvable tablets.)

I'm worried, but not freaking out because it's homeopathic, natural and a very low dose at that. I read the bottle for overdose instructions-there are none. I log on the company's website for info and it says not to worry, it won't make him sick.

I call their emergency hot line, just to be sure. Turns out he'll be just fine and it shouldn't affect him in a negative way.

Phew.

Now I don't have to feel guilty about getting on him for having two accidents already today. I'm about to rip my hair out over this potty training business. How can a child go accident free for FOUR consecutive days and then all of the sudden forget how to use the potty? It's maddening, to say the least.

Anyway. After we put the kids to bed on Saturday night, Jake and I got the urge to redecorate the house. We ended up re-arranging the living room furniture and designing some built in bookshelves/media center. We're not sure yet if it's going to be affordable to the budget, but here's hoping! Our living room now has much more floor space for the boys to play, but the walls seem more bare than ever. A project I'm happy to remedy. :)

It's funny to watch Javen come downstairs in the morning as he is not used to the new layout. His reactions thus far:

"Wow! I wike it!"
"Cool, Mom! It's big"
"Hahaha. I wike it. Cool."

Yesterday I walked into the house after church and for a split second thought we had been robbed. Then I remembered that we moved the furniture around. :)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

So that was Monday. I'm still working on sprucing up the living room, so no photos yet. However, Jake and I finally found some new flooring so as soon as he gets a free weekend (hahaha) we're going to rip out the carpet and lay down some wood floors. Yippee!! (If anyone wants to help, let me know! I think we're aiming for the first weekend in Nov. Possibly.)

And for those of you who come here for your daily dose of photos of the boys:

Lunch time! Liam had finished eating, so I went to grab a cloth to wipe him off and Javen got in my chair and kept feeding him. (Please excuse the card table. I'm bringing my refinished table inside tonight! Yay!)

i love blogging

2010-10-07T11:38:00.005-05:00

There are so many reasons why I love blogging. It's my writing outlet (I was a publicist before I was a SAHM...I love to write!), it's my baby book of sorts, it's a way to share photos and stories with our families (we don't live in the same state as any of our family), it's been a great way to stay in touch and a part of friends lives that I don't live near anymore, and it's allowed me to meet some great new friends as well! (That was quite possibly the longest sentence I've ever written. Phew.)

It's been especially fun for me to stay in touch with people from college. It's funny how much our friendships have grown now that we live so far away. Some of my best mommy friends are people that I rarely hung out with in college and now they are my go to girls! So when my friend, Lindsey (mother of twin 2 year old boys (!!) feel free to stop right now and say a quick prayer for her and all that toddler energy that surrounds her on a daily basis!) asked if I could do a giveaway and introduce all of you to her 31 business, I was so happy to help! I love being able to support other SAHM's, especially when there are cute things involved.

Just look what she sent me!

front

Back

It's a mini organizer and I just love it. Such a fun print and monogrammed initial. So perfect for holding lots of my craft supplies. Just check out all it's holding (and there is still room for more!)

I had a really hard time deciding what to use it for. I started out thinking I'd put my makeup in it, but I don't have much makeup and I didn't want to waste all that space for only a few items. Then I thought about using it for picnics (those outside pockets would be great for holding napkins and utensils or juice boxes) but I didn't want to store it away in a closet for the rare occasions when we actually picnic. Craft supply holder was the choice for me!

She has something for one of you too! She's giving one of my readers their choice of one of the following items, personalized any way you want, in the print of your choice:

Small Lunch Thermal Tote ( Onyx Medallion in photo):

A smaller version of our classic thermal tote, with an outside pocket! Pack snacks, make a goodie bag for the kids to take to the park and even keep liquid medicines cool. Measures approx. 11” W (at top and middle) x 9” H x 5 ¾”.

Mini Organizer (Organic Flower in photo):

Stash your small essentials here. Great for arts, crafts or gift-wrapping supplies like tape, ribbons, or cards. Store kitchen utensils, cosmetics, baby supplies or create a first aid kit. 6 exterior pockets; handles. Measures approx. 12"L x 7"H x 5"D.

Littles Carry-All Caddy (St Andrew Hole-n-1 in photo):

Great utility caddy for office supplies (store your binder clops or notepads inside and use the mesh side pocket for your pens, pencils and highlighters) or any storage! Four of the Littles will fit into one 3191 Square Utility Tote and sic of the Littles will fit into one Utility Tote to compartmentalize your goodies. Measures approx. 5.5"H x 5.5"W

Thermal Tote (Navy Mod Dot in photo):

One of your favorites made even better with an outside pocket! What a great way to take lunch on the go! Whether it's items you need to keep cool or warm for school, office, or at a ballgame, this is the way to do it. Also great as a baby bag and keeping bottles cold. Measures approx. 14.5” L, 9.5” H, 4.5” D. (I think this will be my next purchase!)

Here's a bit about the company she's working for as a consultant. (She gets to work from home and have fun parties and stuff. Cool, right?)

About 31 (from the 31 Website):

Our mission is to celebrate, encourage and reward women through offering quality products and an outstanding opportunity to become successful business owners.

Our products are exclusive to Thirty-One and provide style and convenience at an amazingly affordable price. From our key product line, to our “direction” line for teens, or our uniquely crafted “31kid” line for children and moms, you will find so many options to fit every personality type and every situation. We continue to develop new products built on the idea that our products must be stylish, functional, affordable and easy to give as gifts to encourage someone special.

Here's how to enter the giveaway:

Go visit Lindsey's 31 website, then come back here and leave a comment on what your favorite product or print is.

Extra entry? Sure, why not!
ONE extra entry: "Like" Lindsey's 31 Page on Facebook. (While you're there, I'm sure she'd love for you to say hello too!) Then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did.

ONE extra entry (a piece) Tweet, Blog or FB status about the giveaway. (Leave a comment with the link.)

THREE extra entries: Purchase anything from Lindsey's 31 website and come back here to comment (3 times!!) that you did.

*Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry!*

Winner will be selected at random and announced one week from today. Good luck!

Again, HERE is the website.
And HERE is the facebook page.

I'm Still Here!

2010-10-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA this week. Things have been a little hectic around here. However, stay tuned because I have much to share and later today I have a fabulous giveaway for you! Right now I need to go chase this guy...he's a quick one!

Zip-a-dee Zoo-da

2010-10-04T22:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. It's been super busy around here, but that's a good thing! Jake was home all weekend and we had some great family time and got lots of stuff done around the house. But before I tell you about our weekend, I just have to share some photos from our trip to the zoo on Friday. There were four of us Mama's and 6 children under 2. Always an adventure!

Here's our crew:

Sweet EK, such a happy camper!

T was SO excited about holding the ostrich egg!

Big kids checking out the alligators.

Monkeys!

Flamingos

Javen petting the Lion (skin).

Javen and his buddy, Will, taking a break with the giraffes

All in all, a great first trip to the zoo!

Before/After

2010-09-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

Today I'm participating in Pixel Perfect's Before/After blog hop. Basically, you show a photo SOOC (straight out of camera) and then show the edited version. I edited this one by mostly playing around with the curves (I'm still figuring all that stuff out) but I was really happy how it turned out!

Liam's first visit to the pumpkin patch...

Taken with my Nikon D80 edited in Photoshop 6.

Thankful

2010-09-29T23:09:00.002-05:00

Next month Jake and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary. I feel so blessed to call such an incredible man my husband, the father of my children and my best friend.

He works so hard for our family. It's 110% from him all the time. As much as I hate how he has crazy hours and can't make it home for bed time every night, I'm so thankful he has a job that allows me to stay home with our boys.

I love how much our boys LOVE their Daddy. Even though neither one of them can tell time yet, every day they both head over to the front door/window around the time he should walk through the door to watch and wait.

Liam chatters "dadadadadadadada" as Javen repeats, "Daaaaaaaddy! Where are you? Daaaaaaddy!!" and they wait...

and watch...

I may as well be invisible at this point in the day, because when Daddy walks in the door their eyes light up, their smiles widen and giggles ensue as all 3 "wrestle" on the floor. I love watching them!

Lately, there has been more waiting then wrestling because of Jake's schedule. This doesn't deter the boys. They still faithfully go to the door every day to wait and watch. They cry at bedtime for "dadadada" and "Daaaaddy" and talk about him all. day. long. They know their Daddy is coming home.

So until things settle down a bit at work and the routine becomes a little bit more stable, we'll be spending time at the front door watching, waiting and calling out for Daddy.

Every day. (It kills me how cute they are at that door!!)

After 8 days of him working, I'm so thankful for the day off we had yesterday, and can't wait till Saturday when we get to see him again. We love you, Daddy!

*I know there are those whose husbands work like this all year round, or serve our country and are away for months at a time. I'm not trying to belittle that. I'm not trying to play the "woe is me" card. It's just been tough for me lately. I know it could be MUCH harder. The point is, I don't take for granted the time we do get to spend as a family and I cherish every day we have together.*

Pumpkin

2010-09-28T22:15:00.001-05:00

Jake's been one busy guy at work these days and today his boss gave him some time off to spend with us! It was the perfect day so after nap time we headed over to the pumpkin patch! (Liam's first trip!)

Our lil punkin heads

How's a guy supposed to choose?

Don't worry Liam, I know what I'm doing!

Bed Time Pwayers

2010-09-27T16:05:00.000-05:00

Javen's new thing is to tuck his toys into bed. Yesterday morning he put Winnie the Pooh to sleep in my bed while I was brushing my teeth. I poked my head out of the bathroom to catch him pull the covers up and say, "Nigh night! Sweet dweams pooh!"

Adorable.

He also likes to crawl into bed with us earrrrrly in the morning, and "snuggle, Mama?" I have a hard time sending him back to his own bed when he wants to snuggle.

Jake has been working a lot lately and hasn't been home for bed time. (He usually does the bed time routine with Javen.) My favorite thing about tucking Javen in at night is bed time prayers. Every night we thank Jesus for all of our family by name (it takes a while) and for our friends (usually by name as well) and Javen likes to repeat every word of the prayer.

Last night after he said "Amen," we had the following conversation:

Javen: Mama, pway? (pray) More Jesus?
Me: Do you want to pray some more? Should we talk to Jesus again?
Javen: Yes. More Jesus. Pway, Mama.
Me: What do you want to talk to Jesus about?
Javen: Jeff
Me: You want to pray for Uncle Jeff?
Javen: Yes. Pway for Jeff!

So we prayed for Jeff (my brother). We asked Jesus to give Jeff a job and a place to live and to take care of him because we love him.

When we finished praying, we talked about how Jesus loves it when we talk to him. We talked about how Jesus loves us, which started a new conversation:

Javen: Jesus wuv Javen!
Me: Yes!
Javen: And Mommy? And Daddy? And Weeum? (Liam)
Me: Yes, he does!
Javen: Mama, I wuv Jesus. Jesus wuvs Javen and Jeff.
Me: Yes he does, buddy. Very much.

Noah's Ark Toddler Craft

2010-09-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

A new friend/neighbor of mine and a friend of hers decided to start a little home school preschool group for our three little 2 year olds. We meet once a week and take turns with the teaching responsibilities. We've met once and it was a bit more....chaotic? than we anticipated. We had fun though!

We decided to stick to a Noah's Ark theme for this month and I was in charge of crafts for our first meeting. We wanted to focus on talking about what kinds of animals live in the water vs what animals live on land. I googled my brains out to find a Noah's Ark craft appropriate for 2 year olds and came up with nothing usable. I took inventory of what kind of crafts Javen has been bringing home from church and concluded that 2 year olds do crafts with crayons and stickers. Off to the dollar store I went!

I came home with this list of supplies:

construction paper

glue

animal stickers

fish stickers

At home I already had:

scissors

crayons

Here's what I came up with:

I took a piece of blue paper and cut it in half horizontally. I glued half of it to an off white sheet of paper. I then took a sheet of tan paper and folded it in half. I drew an ark on it, cut out my stencil and glued it the paper. (If the kids were older I would have let them do the cutting and gluing.)

We talked about land animals and breathing and air and gave the kids the stickers to place inside the ark, then did the same with the fish stickers. (If the kids were older we would have had them draw a rainbow, but for now they just color.)

Javen was so proud to show Daddy his ark. I'm excited for our Noah's Ark inspired trip to the zoo this week!

For Julie

2010-09-25T20:48:00.000-05:00

Here are the new glasses...for driving, reading, tv/computer time.

Thank you, pregnancy for screwing up my vision. They tell you your body will never be the same after having a baby. I never thought that included eye sight. Who knew?

Happy Saturday!

2010-09-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

I Think It's Official?

2010-09-24T13:48:00.000-05:00

Javen is potty trained! I think? He had an accident on Saturday (which was not his fault- he napped in his undies and stayed dry, but someone-ahem...Jake!...forgot to crack his door open so he could get out when he woke up, so he peed on the floor by the door) and one yesterday as he was wrestling his shorts off in a desperate attempt to make it to the potty on time.

When we leave the house, the potty goes with us. I just lay a trash bag down in the back of the van and set the potty on top of it. (No worries about missing!) He's going to kill me one day for sharing this with you:

I've started to phase out the fruit snack reward for every time he goes. I made a chart and every time he goes potty, he gets a sticker. Once he gets three of the same stickers in a row, he gets a fruit snack. Then we start with a different sticker the next time he goes, and the three in a row thing starts over. If he has an accident, then he doesn't get a sticker. The next time he goes, he gets a different looking sticker and the three sticker in a row count starts over. Got it? (Haha) Here's a visual aid:

Positive re-enforcement only!

We're still in diapers/pull ups for naps and bed time. I think next month we'll start trying to nap without a diaper. 70% he wakes up from his nap dry anyway. I don't think it will be that tough for him to accomplish.

However, before we tackle the diaperless nap, we've got to get this kid to poop on the potty. He just won't do it! The past two days he has walked into the bathroom to do his business in his diaper after nap, and promptly wants changed. We're getting closer!

Motherhood

2010-09-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

I'm exhausted. I feel like no matter how hard I try, I just can't get enough sleep.

I'm a Mom. I guess it comes with the territory.

Javen has been sneaking into our bed the past few nights around 1:30AM and sleeping with us until morning. I guess both Jake and I are too tired to take him back to his own bed, so we just endure the kicks, punches, head butt's, tossing and turning. I know Javen is an active little boy, but even in his sleep he can't keep still! (Maybe that's where all these mysterious bruises on my legs are coming from?!)

Last night Jake and I agreed that this ~~mid-night smack down~~ sleepover habit is getting nixed, pronto. And of course on the night that we agree to take him back to his own bed immediately, he actually stays put in his own bed all night.

Then there's Liam. Aside from still waking up around 4:30AM to eat every morning, during the day he has just as much energy as Javen, except he doesn't know the rules of the house. He's into EVERYTHING. He gets into the dirt and leaves in my indoor potted plants, pulls the baskets out from under our foyer bench to chew on shoes, removes all the books from the shelves, then climbs up the shelves (!!!), climbing the stairs, pulling on electric cords, playing with the DVD player/TV, wrecking Javen's train tracks, putting food crumbs in his mouth from off the floor under Javen's chair...you get the idea. Such a curious little guy! When I tell him no, he just smiles because he thinks it's all a game. I tell you, this is the happiest kid on the planet! His life is one big ball of smiles!

Anyway, all of Liam's busyness means I can't take my eyes off him for ONE SECOND. He no longer likes the Jumperpoo, and doesn't want to be held unless he is sleepy. He can't stand to be restrained in any which way!

The problem is, he's not my only child! Javen needs help going potty (more on his progress later), or wants to color, or needs lunch, or a refill on his water or read a book or just wants to sit in my lap and hug (my little cuddle bug, I love it!)

Then there's the whole...doing the dishes, switching the laundry, paying the bills, making phone calls, grocery shopping, cleaning the bathrooms, changing the sheets...EATING...you know...the list goes on.

My house is in shambles. I can't do it all. Keeping my kids safe, fed and changed comes first. A few things get scratched off the "to do" list during nap time, but it just doesn't seem to make much of a difference overall.

Yesterday in ~~an act of desperation~~ stroke of genius, I came up with this solution to coral Mr. Curious:

Except my plan didn't really work out. Instead of doing something productive, I took pictures and laughed at my boys. Liam was SO excited to have that many toys within arms reach (without Javen trying to snatch anything from his grasp) and Javen was BEGGING for a turn to play inside the toy box. Liam's turn lasted about ten minutes before he was through. Then the three of us ended up playing on the floor together for a while.

Oh well. I guess for now I'll just stick to trying to get things done while he's asleep. He'll learn sooner or later, (sooner, I hope!)

Happy Wednesday

2010-09-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

I'm tired. Too tired to put any energy into the several blog entries I have floating around in my head. So today you get a sweet toothy grin from Liam.

Call it, wordless Wednesday, if you will. I should be back tomorrow explaining the latest reasons for exhaustion. (In a nutshell? Motherhood.) :)

Until then, happy Wednesday. The weekend is almost here!

Faux Canvas Prints: Questions Answered!

2010-09-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

Wow. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and left some love on the faux canvas project. It was so fun getting that much feedback! I wanted to address a few questions that were asked, but if you have any more let me know!

Amy asked...

Love, love, love this. Where did you put these in the house- hallway, living room, bedroom? Wanna come for a visit up here to KC so you can take some awesome pics for me?!?!?!

They are hanging in my living room. I actually think I'm going to make a few more in a smaller size (probably 8x8) and make a little collage to fill up more of the space on the wall. I'll be sure to post pics after I finish! (If I ever find myself in your neck of the woods, I'd be happy to take some pics of your little man!)

Cheryl asked...

How do you modge podge without the picture getting smeared? it sounded like you were actually modge podging a real photo onto wood?

I did put the Mod Podge directly on the photo and had absolutely no issues with the photo ink smearing. I got my photos printed at CostCo in the lustre finish (not glossy!) I glued them to real wood- 3/4" birch plywood.

Whitney asked...

Quick question...do you actually get a 12 x 12 picture or do you have to get a larger picture and cut it? Just curious!! Love these!!!

I did get a 12x12 photo. I had to crop the image before printing, but my jpgs have such a hi-res that they blew up just great. Here's what the original photos looked like before I cropped them (from the CostCo photo uploading website).

And here is what they looked like into their 12x12 printed out versions:

The Wife asked...

Love those canvases! Can you include a cost on these? Or did you already? I'll go back and look. I was busy oogling the pictures.

Ahhh...I should have saved the receipts! I don't remember the exact-to-the-penny costs, but I round to the nearest dollar.

One 3/4" 2'x2' birch plywood board- $9
(Since I got four 12"x12" boards out of this they cost apx $2.25 a piece.)

One 12"x12" photo (from CostCo) $2.99
Total for 2: $5.98

Mod Podge (I think it runs around $6, but I already had some, so in this case it was free!)

Foam brush = 97 cents. (However, I don't recommend buying the cheap one, it falls apart.)

Black spray paint = 99 cents. (I bought the cheap no name brand kind. I figured it wouldn't matter too much if it didn't have a nice even finish for this project, though I must say I think it worked just great!)

I already had the sand paper from a different project, and we own a drill and random screws so all of that was free.

Total for project (2'x2' board, two 12"x12" photos, black spray paint and foam brush) = $16.94 (plus tax)
The great thing is that I still have 2 boards left, so I can spend around $6 for two more photos and that's it!

I checked out the prices on CostCo's website for ordering a canvas print from them. Getting my photos printed to canvas would have cost me $29.99 (a piece!) for an 8x10, $34.99 for an 11x14 and $39.99 for a 12x16!

If any of you try this project, will you send me the link? I'd love to see how yours turn out!