Moving day is looming.....

We now own the house. Holy crap!

I'm excited and sick all at the same time. Closing was relatively painless, but took about an hour and 45 minutes. I don't remember signing SOOOOOOOOO many forms for this house, but hey...you do what you have to do right?

The movers are coming tomorrow morning between 9:00 and 10:00 am. The boys will be hanging out with my Dad and Stepmom for most of the day, so that we won't have to worry about them during all of the chaos.

Both Kelly and I are so stressed, I just feel the fights "bubbling up". I'm thinking if we break down and sort out our responsibilities, then we can stay out of each other's way, and hopefully keep the fights to a minimum.

Nothing like moving to test a marriage eh???

Wish us luck!! I'll update when I can!!

The fat lady

It's so funny to have a 3, almost 4 year old. You never quite know what the day will hold, and it's usually full of LOTS of surprises.

Today was the perfect example.

At lunch, as we walked in to the restaurant, Colin (as usual) had to go to the bathroom. As we scooted past the line of people waiting to place their orders, a rather "large" woman was walking by as well. I touched Colin's shoulder and said, "say excuse me honey" and as we inched over to let her walk by, she said excuse me as well.

She was barely behind us, and Colin says to me in a voice loud enough for her to hear, "Mommy, that is a REALLY FAT lady!!".

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, and of course my pace quickened IMMEDIATELY. I rushed Colin back to the restroom and explained as best I could that we don't say things like that. I know that he didn't mean any harm, but I felt so badly for her. I told him that some people can't help being large, and that if she heard him say that, it would have made her sad.

He seemed to understand, so he took care of "business", and we headed out to the restaurant.
As we're walking back to our table he says, "Mommy, that lady must have eaten a BIG lunch!" Oh. My. Gosh. Why is my child fascinated with the fat lady?

I then explained that we have no idea how much she ate, but just because she's "bigger" doesn't mean that she ate that much for lunch.

As we sat down, and I started removing everyone's jacket, Colin came through with the punch-line for the day.

"Mommy, how did she fit through the door to go outside?"

It was all I could do to keep a straight face and try to remain stern in my reply. Inside, I was HOWLING!!

Looks like life is about to get a LOT more interesting.

The Christmas of snot and rain

Well, it was a major holiday, and you guessed it. Landon is sick.

Not just a cold sick, but 102 degree fever, I'm crabby as hell, sick.

I have been to three Doctors with him in the last three days (the first of which, I had to threaten his nurse within an inch of her life to get him to see us) and we still can't quite figure out what's going on with him. Strep tests are coming back negative, and his ears/tubes look great, so who the heck knows.

His nose is running like a faucet, he's feverish and clingy, and if you look at him the wrong way, he loses it and throws himself onto the floor crying. It could be the fact that he has 4 molars and one bottom latteral tooth all coming in at the same time, but you know those Doctors all "pooh pooh" the idea that teething causes congestion, fever, and diarrhea (my ass! Well, not mine, Landon's.)

Nothing like getting it all out of the way at once right??

Christmas day was cold and WET. Oh, and I had not been to the grocery store, so the tuna casserole that we had for dinner was just lovely (ick!). Actually, it was pretty tasty, but definitely not my grandmother's famous apple sausage stuffing. I'm pretty sure I was the only one who ate it. Why did I bother even cooking???

The boys loved their gifts. We were up until 12:30am putting everything together, then of course Landon was up around 2:00am, and again at 6:00am for the day. Oh, Momma was not in a jolly mood, let me tell ya!

His favorite is the ball popper. He sits at it and tries to keep the balls from popping out of the top, all the while screaming, "BAAWWWWL, BAWWWWL" By the way, I don't think he would be doing that if it weren't for the tubes in his ears. He's already speaking clearer, and repeating more sounds. Who knows if it's just his stage of development, or the tubes really, but I say the latter. I actually don't care, I'm just glad to HEAR it!

Colin's favorite toy was by far his garage, and shake & go speedway. The garage...well, let's just say that it's pretty much a piece of crap. Kelly broke it in about 5 places just trying to assemble it! It's one of the "Toys R Us" brands, and it had awful instructions and is made from thin, brittle plastic. I guess I shouldn't expect much more for $14.99 huh? Thank God for super glue, or Christmas would have been a bust for poor Colin. I foresee the trash for that in about 4 months. Hey, it's what the kid picked out from the TRU big toy book, so we got it. I wanted Santa to show up with at least one toy he requested.

The speedway is another story. That thing ROCKS! It's sturdy, and easy to assemble (hello, if you can count, you can put the thing together), and even LANDON can race cars on it. Plus, you can even buy Lightning McQueen and The King to race on it. A big plus for my Cars fanatic Colin.


we are now in "pack the house up at fast as you freakin' can" mode so that we can be ready for the movers to come Friday morning. The more we pack ourselves, the faster the move will go. Kelly's done an amazing job with it so far. Thank God I have a disciplined Husband. I've packed up a few things, but not nearly the amount he has so far. I guess the fact that I have a little munchkin following me around emptying my boxes and tossing their contents around the house, may play a little role in it. It could also explain the state of disaster that our house is currently in as well. Hey...it's a good excuse anyway, right?

So, I'm off. I will try to update about the move as soon as we get the computer set up. It will probably be one of the FIRST things we do knowing my Hubby. I'm really hoping that things will go as smoothly as possible. (HA!! I* know* my luck, don't think I'm kidding myself!)

Happy New Year to everyone if I'm gone until then.

I'm so ready to be in my new HOUSE!!! Whoo HOO!

Welcome to the world Calhoun Thomas!!!!

Congratulations to my brother Adam, his wife Laura, and big sister Kate on the birth of their baby boy, Calhoun, early this morning.

What a wonderful Christmas gift!!!

Weclome to the world! We can't wait to meet you!!

My baby is just fine...BETTER than fine!

Sorry for the delay in the update. It's been an awfully long day considering that we woke up at 5:00am.

Landon did surprisingly well. He wasn't upset at all that we woke him up and tossed him in the car in his pajamas. In fact, I think he was a bit intrigued at the change in routine. Colin was AMAZING. I explained to him that we couldn't eat or drink anything around Landon since he couldn't, and he didn't complain ONE bit about it. He also was so supportive. When they took Landon from me, crying, and we turned to walk back to the waiting room, he held my hand the entire way. I think he just *knew* that I needed some support at that moment. I'm so proud of my little guy.

The surgery was short, only about 30 minutes, but the waiting before hand was about THREE hours and 45 minutes. UGH. Even so, Landon was a trooper.

He was very groggy when in recovery, and slept the entire way home. Once we got here, he ate 4 pancakes, and some pretzels. That is in addition to the banana and pretzels he had in recovery. He also drank two FULL sippy cups of juice. Poor little fella was starving and thirsting to death. He held every bit of it down (thank God!).

He napped for about 2 and a 1/2 hours and by 4:00pm, he was running around, dancing, and playing with his brother. It's as if nothing at all happened.

Thank God!

I'm just so glad that this is over.

Thanks again for the positive thoughts and prayers!!

Now on to packing and buying a house.

Surgery in the morning....

Well, I just wanted to thank all of you who have offered your thoughts and prayers regarding Landon's surgery in the morning. I've added many to them myself!

We will be at the hospital at 7:30 am, and I know that Landon is going to be one pissed off little guy since he won't be allowed to have anything to eat. Hopefully the "cocktail" that they plan to give him will calm him down.

I wonder if I can sneak a sip myself??

I'm going to be a big ball of nervous energy.

I'll update tomorrow afternoon and let you know how my little stinker-bug is doing.

Thanks again.

Wordless Wednesday

Miracles DO happen!

We actually closed on the home equity loan today. I'm in SHOCK!

I'll still never use Bank of Ameri** for any future financing needs unless I have absolutely NO other choice.

We're on our way folks!!! The countdown has begun!

Now...when will the packing???

Need the blogosphere's help

Well, if you've been reading, you know that we are moving in to our new home in 9 short days (EEEK!).

One of the MANY conversations that hubby and I are currently involved in regarding said move, is about the phone service for the new house.

Kel believes that we should NOT get a land line phone and that we could save money (exactly $26, and this includes tolls and taxes) each month, by using only our cell phones.

I am really uncomfortable with that idea. I feel that a land line is necessary, for emergency purposes. I am home with the kids by myself 95% of the time, and need to know that if I am incapacitated and can't speak or get to the phone, that my soon to be 4 year old can possibly do that for me. If I am hurt and can't speak, I know that I can dial 911, and they will send someone directly to our home to at least check things out. That is not possible with a cell phone. I know that the technology for cell phones is getting better, but I still don't quite trust them in a situation such as this.

I also don't feel that the $26 a month we would pay, would even cover the amount we would have to spend to increase our minutes to cover the local calls that we make on our current home phone.

What do you all think?

Even if you're a lurker, please feel free to comment. I'm really interested in your take on the idea.

MUCHAS GRACIAS!

Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

Nice tonsils on my oldest huh?

I can now relate to my friends Gina and Andria. Getting a Christmas card picture is SO not as easy as I thought.

Here is one of our many rejects.

Landon looks as if he's scared Colin is going to swallow him whole.

-----------

I am officially a single parent for the next 4 nights and 3 days.

Kelly left for San Fransisco at 5:30 tonight and it couldn't be a worse time for him to go. We're still dealing with a whole bunch of loan crap (stupid Bank of Ameri**!) I will never use them again for any kind of financing. They actually SNAIL MAILED us a letter to request that we call them about our loan. It only took about 10 days to arrive. Think they're trying to expedite things the way we asked them to? Ummmm...that would be a big fat no! Not to mention, Kelly has called them pretty much every day since we started the process. We're probably going to have to use some 401K money to pay our down payment instead of our original plan. There doesn't seem to be any way possible that we'll be able to close on the home equity loan on Tuesday. If it DOES happen, it will be a miracle and I'm definitely not holding my breath.

----------------------------

We got the call from the scheduler at the ENT office and Landon has to be at the hospital at 7:30 am on Friday for his surgery. Our pediatrician had really good things to say about the ENT that we're using, so that was a little reassuring.

OH!! We went in for his 15 month check up and he's looking good. He's now in the 10th percentile for weight (WHOO HOO!! moving up baby!) A whole 21 pounds! He is in the 30th percentile for height, and the boy's head is still off the charts! Big brains mean big smarts people! This kid is destined for great things!

A Night Out

I am currently drunk from the two..yes, I said TWO margaritas that I consumed at a Christmas party tonight. I am a light-weight. There is NO shame in that!

We were called home early by the babysitter because Landon had shots today at his 15 month check up and is not handling them well. He's been running a low grade fever since about 5pm.

We have family coming tomorrow to celebrate Christmas, and we actually don't even have a present for some of them. We were going to make a (drunk) trip to Wally World to see if we could find something for them. Unfortunately, the call from the babysitter put a halt to that.

I had an amazingly fun night out actually talking with and BEING around other adults. Let's hope I don't wake up with a hang over so that tomorrow is ruined.

Who cares anyway....How many parties do I get to go to in one year that don't involve cupcakes, a bounce house and twenty screaming 3 year olds???

Not many.

Mothers and Fathers of Boys....

What do you say when your almost four year old looks down in the bathtub and says, "Mommy, something is wrong with my p3nis...it's really long!" (I'm not ashamed of the word, I'm just not interested in having wackos googling my site for ALL the wrong reasons.)

To top it off he says, "I think I like it that way!!"

This is where I think it would have been easier to have girls.

Sloppy Joe, Slop, Sloppy Joe!

Any Adam Sandler fans out there?

This isn't what I initally was going to post. I was actually searching for something "holidayish" to help me get into the spirit of things, but in my searching, I came across this HILARIOUS Adam Sandler song.

Anyone remember "Lunch Lady Land??" If not, here's the video to jog your memory.

I needed a laugh today to take my mind off of everything we have going on, hopefully you'll get a chuckle too.

Enjoy!

The joys of parenting

I think one of the most wonderful things about being a Mommy is seeing the world through my children's eyes.

Colin has the most amazing view of the world.

I'll never forget a comment he made when we were at the beach in September. We were playing on the beach, and he looked up and pointed at the clouds. You know the lines that airplane exhaust leave in the sky? Well, he saw a few of those, and said, "Mommy, what is that?". I said, "An airplane made that honey" and his comment was, "Oh, the airplane scraped the sky!".

Since we're in the Holiday season, there are TONS of inflatable Santas, Frostys and every other known Christmas icon known to man, all over the city. There is a roller skating rink that we pass by daily, and it is adorned with a puffy Santa and Frosty. They are both haphazardly tied to the roof, and it never fails that one or both are lying flat or deflated. For some reason, Colin always checks their status as we drive by.

On this day, Frosty was was lying empty on the roof, and Colin asked me, "Mommy where did the air go that was inside Frosty". I said, "Well, it's out with the rest of the air". His comment was, " Oh, it went to go dance in the sky".

Funny how kids can put such an insteresting, and sometimes beautiful spin on the world.

The Verdict

Landon is having tubes put in his ears on the 22nd of December.

My BABY is having surgery. On the 22nd of December.

I'm struggling with this in a big way.

I know that he needs this. He has had 5 ear infection in the last 8 months.

I know that if we don't get this done, that it could affect his speech development in a dramatic way, if it hasn't already.

My head knows this, and has weighed all of the pros and cons, and my HEAD feels that we are making the right decision. My head knows that this is a very routine procedure, and that a very capable and experienced pediatric ENT is going to be performing the surgery.

My heart doesn't like the idea of passing my baby boy over to people who are going to make him go to sleep, and cut on him.

My heart is scared about all of the "what if's".

My heart can't handle the thought of losing my baby boy, no matter how small that possibility is.

Home Sweet Home

Just thought I'd share a picture of what we will soon be calling home.

We were so lucky to find it and I am so, SO, ready to move.

What a cool way to start off the new year!

Heading to the ENT tomorrow and House update

I finally got a referral from the Pediatrician to take Landon to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Doc. I guess the 5 ear infections that he's had in the last 8 months finally proved that it was warranted.

I don't know what to expect, but I'm glad that we're hopefully heading down a road that will give him some relief. The poor kid is such a trooper when he's sick. He never runs a fever and barely complains. The only two signs I have that he's sick are that he gets a runny nose, and he stops eating. Thank goodness for that though, because otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue.

I'm really concerned that all of these problems may interfere with his speech development since the ear infections are affecting his hearing. We have a neighbor who's little guy sounds almost like he's deaf when he speaks. It's so hard to understand him because he barely uses any consonants. He's a smart kid, but was plagued with numerous ear infections until he got tubes when he was two years old. His speech is progressively getting better, but I just don't want to do that to Landon. Colin was speaking VERY well by the time he was two. One of his favorite word was "volkswagon". He freaked out his Doctor at his two year check up by showing him his favorite yellow car which was a volkswagon and telling him all about it.

So, anyway. I'm guessing that they will probably recommend tubes. I know that in the long run, it will be what's best, but it scares the HELL out of me that they will have to put my baby under general anesthesia.

I'll update with the verdict tomorrow. We have a 1:45 appointment.

Everything with the house it going GREAT! We're waiting on the final "stuff" for the Home equity loan, but the loan for the new house is in place, we just have to send the signed paperwork back tomorrow. Kelly is heading to San Fransisco on Sunday for CPE training, so we're going to have to get Power of Attorny set up so I can sign for him at the Home Equity loan closing Tuesday of next week.

I never realized that you had to have a closing for a home equity loan. I guess it makes sense though. since it's technically a second mortgage. Live and learn right?

Fun, fun. Like I know ANYTHING about all of that. My CPA Husband is the finance guy in this family (duh!). I'm glad to do it, I just hope we don't run in to any problems. We'll just have to "conference" Kelly in during the closing if we can.

So, that's my exciting life now! I just can't wait to get in to our new home!!

17 days and counting! Woo HOO!

Legos, a work of the devil

Can I just tell you how much I hate those stupid things.

Every time I turn around I'm stepping on one, and getting Colin to clean them up is like pulling teeth.

They end up getting scattered all over the place. I bet we'll be finding them LOOONG after we get all of the furniture moved to the new house.

The DEVIL I tell you!!

29 DEGREES?

Okay. This is not right.

I live in South Carolina people! 29 degrees at 10:00 am is not SOUTH Carolina weather.

I think we actually broke a 90 something year old record low last night. It was 15 degrees outside!

Yep, I'm a wimp.

I'll scream it from the mountain tops.

"This is TOO FREAKIN' COLD!!!"

Random bits of nothing

I got nothing people.

I hate this. I have tried writing several posts, and my brain is just absolutely F-R-I-E-D!

I guess I'll just toss out an update. It's better than no post at all (maybe, maybe not. You guys be the judge). It may not be all that exciting, but it's currently all consuming to us and pretty damn cool when I allow myself to actually "go there".

The mortgage loan is set for us to buy the house (WHOO-HOO!). We're waiting on the final "stuff" for the home equity line of credit on our current home, which will allow us to actually PAY the down payment on our new one. The idea is that we will put our home up for sale, and as soon as we close on it, we will immediately pay that loan back. Hopefully we will be able to set up our closing for that on Monday or Tuesday of next week and I can breathe a huge sigh of relief. We're just running in to scheduling nightmares because of our closing set for the 28th of December (on the new house) and vacations and holidays on top of the short time frame that we're working in. I'm having to stay on my toes and light fires under lots of peoples' asses to ensure that no one drops the ball anywhere.

That's the one thing that I'm waiting on. I just can't allow myself to *really* feel excited about this move, until we have that money in hand (or at least in our account). Every day a little more excitement creeps in though. This house ROCKS you guys! We had the inspection today and the guy told us that if every house he looked at was in as good a shape as this one, he would be "out of a job". It certainly made us feel good about buying it. The worst thing he saw was that the master closet door would close, but not "latch". Ummmm, I think I can deal with that.

On a side note, Landon started going to "pre-school" today. I guess for a 15 month old, it's not technically school. We'll just call it "play school"...yeah, that sounds good.

He was fine when I first left the room, so I was flying high thinking it would be a breeze. He is such a social little fella, that I don't even think he realized I was gone initially. I ran to the car to grab something for Colin, and when I came back in, I peeked into his room (without letting him see me). Um, NOT a good idea. He was screaming his head off. My brain of course tripped in to "mommy guilt" mode and I was feeling like the shittiest Mom on the planet. The teacher came out and told me that they had tried, but he wouldn't let anyone pick him up, which honestly seemed kind of strange to me. My friend Allison who works in the adjoining room couldn't stand it after a minute or two and went in the check on him. He stopped crying within minutes. Hmmmm. I guess I'll have to watch and see how I feel about his teachers. I'm sure that they're busy with other toddlers running around, but even if the kid won't let you pick him up, you can do SOMEthing to distract him. Am I right?

We pulled out the Christmas tree tonight. Talk about something that is frustrating. I'm in packing/de-cluttering mode for our (hopefully) upcoming move, and I'm pulling shit out of the attic and setting it up inside? I have to though. Colin is so excited about decorating for Christmas. I'm just dreading the thought of having to pack it all up again the day after Christmas so we can move a few days after that.

Oh well...it's for my boys, so I'll bite the bullet and do it.

So, that's my life in a nutshell. Lots going on that I'm trying to stay conservatively excited about.

Oh, and by the way. My dear Hubby is in CRAZY, PSYCHO pack up mode. He came home the night we signed the contract and packed up about 5 boxes of stuff and put them in the garage. Every night since then he's asked me, "What can I pack?"

If you don't hear from me for a while, it means that he's boxed either me, or the computer up.

Can you tell he's excited too?

Amazing Neighbors

About five of my neighbors just came to my "rescue". I knew that I loved the people that we live around, but this just reminds me of how sad I am going to be to leave them. I hope we don't have jerky neighbors in the new house.

When my car wouldn't start, I decided to let it roll down our driveway to see if the angle I was parked at made any difference (yeah, I know...stupid, but I never claimed to be a mechanic).

The power steering wasn't working, so there was no way I could turn hard enough to get the car on the side of the road, so I just left it at the bottom of the driveway. My neighbor, Julie, noticed how strangely my car was parked, and stopped to check on the situation. She went home and got her jumper cables, and then the guy, Chris, who lives across the street, came over to supervise as we tried to jumpstart my car. (I know some women are great with cars, but we are not. Much better safe than sorry!).

Before they even got out of the car, another guy from across the street had already pulled up next to my car with his jumper cables. Then the girl from 3 doors down pulled up to see if I needed anything.

Luckily, it started. (WHEW!!!)

It's now been running for about 30 minutes. I'm trying to let the battery charge up so we can run up to Auto Zone and get a new one.

$60 is a heck of a lot better than the $600 I was imagining this morning. Thank you Lord!

My *&%# car isn't starting

I wonder how much this is going to cost?

Under Contract!

We're done!

After a day of negotiating, we've decided on all of the terms and we have our new house under contract. It's contingent upon financing of course, so we're waiting to hear back on our loan. We don't expect any problems though (crossing fingers!) We were pre-approved, so hopefully this is just a formality.

Kelly feels great about the terms, which in turn makes me feel great. We even got a 3 month old solid cherry pool table, plus all of the accessories thrown in, plus a brand new dining room set and chairs. All because the current owners didn't want to move them. Not too shabby!

The one surprise, and our best negotiating point by far, was that they really wanted to close *SOON*, so we're closing on December 31st. We will be the owners of TWO homes on December 31st (well, the 29th since the 31st is a Sunday).....holy crap.

That's 3 1/2 weeks away.

Now the true fun begins.

Thanks for all of your comments! I was busy today, so it kept my mind off of the negotiating. THAT was a good thing!

Tick.....Tock......Tick....

We put the offer in last night around 7:00pm. On the paperwork we requested an answer by 12:00 noon today.

We still haven't heard anything.

Good news or bad news???

Making an offer

Wow!

Kelly and I actually agree on a house. We're putting an offer in tonight.

Wish us luck.

Now to selling the one that we're in.

Anyone looking for a 3 bedroom 2 bath home in the Southeast???

Baby Jesus was hit by a garbage truck

While I was shopping on line for the boys' Christmas, I found something that I just HAD to have.

This is the Little People Deluxe Christmas Story set. I thought it would be a great way to teach the boys about the true meaning of Christmas, PLUS we'd have a Nativity set that I wouldn't worry about them playing with and possibly breaking.

In the last few days, we've had several visits from our local UPS guy (I think Colin might end up calling him Santa if I'm not careful), and today we received it.

After I snuck the boxes off of the front porch and hid the rest of the gifts in the garage, I brought it inside and opened it up. Hubby wasn't too thrilled about that, but I really want to be able to enjoy it this Christmas instead of playing with it for a day or so (the boys that is) and then packing it away. Colin was THRILLED with it!

He knows the story, so I told him who each "Little Person" was as I unwound, and unwound, and unwound those ridiculous wires that attach them to the packaging they come in. His favorite is the horse with the buggy. Of course. My oldest loves and worships anything with wheels. Makes me fear what we're in for when he turns sixteen!

After I freed all of the animals and characters from their wire prisons, I set to making dinner. We ate and I cleaned up a bit and then I sat down with Landon and Colin to play with "our" new toy.

Here is the discussion that followed.

Me: " Colin where is baby Jesus?" (I noticed that he was across the room, on the floor, and behind a chair."

Colin: "He's in the hospital, he'll be there for two or three days."

Me: "Oh, okay. What happened that he has to be in the hospital?"

Colin: "A garbage truck hit him."

Hmmmm, garbage pick up and public healthcare in Bethlehem during Biblical times.

Who knew?

(I love it!)

The Yellow Wiggle is Leaving?? (Take 2)

I would be remiss not to follow this story to the end, especially considering my very first troll was on account of my "Wiggles conspiracy theory".

Thanks to Catherine for the link to this article.

It actually looks like Greg might be leaving the Wiggles! How sad. Colin has loved them since he was teeny tiny, so I really hate to see this happen. Even though some of the music can be highly annoying and that laugh of Dorothy's can drive you up a wall...my kids love it all.

Thanks Greg, for all that you've done to make children all over the world smile, laugh, and dance!! I pray that your Doctors are able to diagnose whatever is happening with you, and restore you to full health and vigor as quickly as possible!!

You will be missed!

SANTA!!!!!

Here is our 2006 visit to Santa.

It's amazing how kids change their idea of him over the years. For Colin, we went from indifference, to being terrified of him, to this year. When he saw him, he RAN into his arms and gave him one of his very best hugs that are normally reserved for Grammy and Daddy. The Santa was really, REALLY, nice about it, and took a great deal of time with him. We were lucky that there was no one behind us in line, I'm sure that helped.

I can't get over how little Landon looks in the picture. He seems so "babyish" in it, but so grown up in person (well, as grown up as a 15 month old can be anyway). He was pretty indifferent to Santa himself...more fascinated with the Christmas tree and decorations around him. I guess next year he'll move to the terrified stage.

Colin looks like he's going to bust with that huge GRIN on his face.

Too funny!

I can't believe I forgot!!!

WOOOO-HOOOOOO!!!

The Gamecocks FINALLY beat Clemson!

(Okay, got that out of my system.)

I went to USC for 2 years (okay, let's be honest. I partied at USC for 2 years before I got serious and transferred to an all women's college and finally focused on the REAL reason I was paying that heinous amount of tuition) and Kelly has both his undergrad and graduate degree from USC. I don't think we ever really went to a USC vs. Clemson game that we *really* thought we would win...but we finally DID!

THAT, was a great come back!

Today was a great day

Even though all of the men in my house are sick...I actually had a pretty good day, which is nice to say, because I haven't been able to in a while.

I'm over my sickness (HAAAALELUJAAH!).

I was pretty "green" until last night when my appetite kicked in finally. Colin, unfortunately, barfed all night Friday night. I don't think that he has the same thing I did though, because he's been running a fever. The vomiting stopped early Saturday morning, but the fever has continued until today. We're heading to the Doc tomorrow, just to make sure it's not bronchitis again. I think Landon also has an ear infection because he's stopped eating, and we know that he cannot do that! Kelly also has a sinus infection and is on 4000 mg's of Augmentin a day! If that doesn't kill it, I don't know what will. His Doc must have decided to pull out the big guns this time around.

Oh, the joys of winter!! It would at least be worth it if we had snow! Not a chance of that any time soon though.

So, we'll shift gears again, and get back to my great day.

It started with my Hubby staying home with the sicklings and me heading to church all. by. my. self. I have to be honest, it was a little awkward. I'm not used to carrying a small purse and not having to tote a 20 pound toddler everywhere I go. It was nice though. It felt like the message was written just for me too. Funny how God works that way.

I was going to head to lunch with some friends (upon Kelly's insistence before I left for church), but decided to call home and check on the boys before fully committing. When I heard both kids crying....ahem...SCREAMING in unison in the background, I decided I should cut him a break and head on home to relieve him. We went to Panera for a late lunch, and believe it or not, every sick "kid" (including the 32 year old) ate a decent amount of food. It's amazing what getting out of the house will do for you.

We came home and I got everyone situated for naps (including the "oldest"), and while they slept, I went shopping.

HUH???

That's unheard of!

TWO trips away from the house. ALONE....in one day!???

Hell must have frozen over! Hehe, just kidding, but I have to admit it was nice!

Of course, I didn't go shopping for me. Are you kidding? I headed to a used book store to try and use up the $175.00 worth of credits I got from emptying out our guest room dressers when we de-cluttered (yes, I did used to have time to read, and enjoyed it. I didn't realize how much though). I found a few for the boys and then headed to the grocery store to buy the necessities for "Mommy's magic soup", and then came on home.

Luckily, I had *just* missed Landon waking up from his nap with his first poop in 2 days (HUUUUUGE!), so I got to love all over him after Daddy took care of the mess. (Insert big evil grin here.)

Not only did I make chicken corn chowder tonight, folks, I even made chicken noodle soup...from SCRATCH! My boys are going to be better in no time if I have anything to do with it.

Two things to note:

1. I think the zoloft is working

2. Do you think this has anything to do with the fact that I had about 3 Doctor Peppers today? Gotta LOOOOVE that caffeine!!

(Anyone have any suggestions on how to get to sleep now?)

Recovering from Thanksgiving...literally!

I would have to say that this year's Turkey day will have to go down as the worst ever in my life.

Oh, there was a beautiful turkey, with dressing, and mashed potatoes with gravy, and all of the wonderful side items that go along with it, but I didn't get to enjoy one bit of it.

You see, I awoke at 3:00 am on Thanksgiving morning, not to put the turkey in the oven, but to puke my guts out, over and over and over again.

Yep, I was throwing up from 3:00 am until about 12:30 pm, and nauseous until I went to bed around 6:00. Ick.

This happens to me every now and then because of my allergies, and luckily, this year, my lovely body decided to hit me with it on Thanksgiving. Usually I recover once I'm up and moving around the next day, but for some reason, it didn't happen that way this time.

Thank the LORD for my husband and my Mother! My Mom did every bit of the cooking, and my Hubby cleaned the entire house and managed the boys. I was sure that I would be okay for dinner in the afternoon, so we didn't cancel the invites to my Husband's friend and his family. Luckily, they understood when I couldn't eat with them and had to go lie down. I was able to vist for a little while, but I know I looked just as "green" as I felt.

I'm feeling OH so much better today, something that I am OHHH so thankful for! Sleeping from 6:00 pm until 10:00 am the next morning helped with that. I was even able to have my turkey with all of the "fixin's", so maybe we can say my Thanksgiving was just a day late....and boy was I thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to say I hope you all have a GREAT DAY!

We'll be home. I'm cooking a 20 pounder tomorrow (I guess I'd better get my butt to bed so I can get up to get it going in the morning!). We're having my Mom, her fiance', and a friend of Kelly's from work and his family (wife and 2 kids). It should be fairly laid back.

It's funny. When I think about tomorrow and having guests, I know that this will be so much less stressful, because they aren't all family.

Sad but true. I love my family, but we are much better family when there is distance between us.

Anyway...I hope you all have a wonderful day remembering all of the things that you're thankful for! I'll be spending it with those that I love more than anything in the world...my Hubby and my 2 boys.

I'm off to bed....sweet dreams everyone!

What is with these celebrity idiots?

First we have Mel Gibson spouting off at the mouth with his anti-semitism, and now Kramer is a freakin' racist??

What is wrong with these people that they think they can act and speak in a way that is degrading to ANYONE and not get some kick back?

Are they so rich and famous that they can do anything to anyone and get away with it?

Ummmm...no.

Needless to say, this guy's career is probably coming to a screeching halt.

Hopefully you're Seinfeld royalties are keeping you afloat Kramer, because I would say you're probably going to be out of the stand up business for a while.

What Have We Created???

I think we're in for it.

Driving to pre-school this morning, Colin says to me, "Mommy, we need to get new wheels for your car".

I said, "Why do we need new wheels for my car baby?"

"We just do. That car over there has new wheels."

I looked and couldn't see anything.

I then said, "New wheels for cars are usually pretty expensive, maybe you should talk to Daddy and ask him what he thinks about buying something that expensive."

Here it comes......

"I like expensive things Mommy."

Yep, we're definitely in for it.

Scared...

So...anyone wondering why I disappeared for a little bit last week? Well, part of the answer to that question is; I started taking zoloft tonight.

I'm scared shitless, a little relieved, and pretty much don't know what to expect.

I hope and pray that this is going to be a good thing for me. I've been having some issues coping with Kelly's busy work schedule, and pretty much just life in general. I found that I was basicly going from one necessary task to the next, to the next, to the next, and so on. I couldn't find any joy in my family, in my kids, or in my life any more. Even though I have two of the most beautiful children on the planet. Everything just seemed to turn in to one task after another.

I just couldn't keep living that way. So, I called the Doctor.

I'm hoping and praying that the medicine will help me to stop and take an inventory of all of the wonderful blessings that I have in my life. That it will allow me to see and DO what is really truly important, and that things will just in general...get "better".

So, that's "it" in a nutshell. I realize that medication isn't a miracle cure, but I hope that my days will seem much brighter soon.

We shall see.

MIA

Sorry I've been MIA the last week or so.

I'm back, and I have tons of half finished posts that I may or may not publish. It's been a rough week for me, which is why I didn't want to publish what I had written. Who wants to hear about all of the poop going on in my life right? lol...you guys probably!

I will update, but I just don't have time now. It's actually one of the posts in my "unfinished" archive.

Luckily, things are looking up, so I'll be back for GOOD...hopefully. You never know, I could get run over by a truck tomorrow morning..hehe!!

Question.

Have most of you already switched to Blogger Beta? Is it worth it? I've heard of many people having problems after they switched, so I've been hesitant to do so. Let me know what you think...If it's a "good thing" then I'll go ahead and do it.

Oh...the kids are good, Hubby is good. I have some great pics of Landon and his first haircut last weekend that I'll hopefully get up shortly. That kid is such a trip! NOTHING phases him!

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to some yummy turkey and dressing...MMMMM, I can't wait!!

Andria, I think I'm going to try out your baked pineapple recipe. I can't WAIT, it sounds so yummy!

Welcome to the world baby Sarah!!!!

I just wanted to congratulate my amazing friend Rebecca, her hubby David, Big sister Rachael, and Angel Sister Katherine on the birth of Sarah this morning.

From the time Rebecca's water broke and the time she was born at 10:18am, it was only ONE hour and 48 minutes! Can you say S-U-P-E-R WOMAN??

Congratulations my dear friend...this is truly an answer to many, many, prayers!

Much love from my family to yours!

Thinking of my friend Jennifer and her daughter Sydney

I just found out that Sydney, who will be 5 next week, has been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.

Wow.

She's okay, and thank GOD for mother's intuition, because that is the only thing that kept something really serious from happening. Jennifer really can't place her finger on what "told" her something was wrong, but she acted on her suspicions and they were proven true.

Sydney's Dad, is diabetic as well, so they used his glucometer to test her sugar on Sunday night, and it was off the scale. Off to the hospital they went. She's now on 4 insulin shots a day, regular blood sugar tests, and of course, a modified diet.

Please just say a prayer for them if you have a moment. I can't imagine how to explain something like this to a little girl who is so...well, so little. She's a sweetheart too, Landon's little "mommy" whenever we're out playing with the neighborhood crew.

Please remember Mommys and Daddys, that little nagging voice that's there in the back of your head...it's there for a reason.

Always follow your gut when it comes to your children.

That's my PSA for the day.

Sidebar **Edited**

Okay, so does anyone have any idea why the heck all of my links are now at the BOTTOM of my blog when I haven't changed anything???

Hmmmm...I'm at a loss.

Thanks so much Mike...YOU ROCK! That's exactly what the problem was.

I'll make sure to shorten my shows of frustration from here on out.

House Hunting; NOT for the faint of heart

I think that my Husband and I may kill each other before this is over.

This truly, I mean TRU-LY sucks.

At least I have learned something through this experience (which, mind you, is totally different now that we have two children in tow). I am the optimist of this relationship, and HE is the pessimist.

Whenever we look at a house, or a neighborhood, I seem to point out all of the things that are nice about it (unless of course, it is totally WACKED, and we have seen some of that), wheras he starts off focusing on anything and EVERYTHING that may be wrong.

Now I ask you....is it ever possible to find 100% of what you want and like in a home or a neighborhood? EVEN IF you buy property, and pick out a floor plan, and build from the ground up....is it possible? I don't think so. Granted, if we had $1,000,000 to buy a home, this might not be so hard, but our budget is a great deal smaller than that.

There are non-negotiables which we both pretty much agree on, but other things that I FEEL we must be able to give and take on. He's not willing to do that at all. He wants it perfect, AND he wants it affordable. Of course, I would like that too, but I realize that it ain't gonna happen. (So wait...does that now make HIM the optimist and me the pessimist??)

I don't care...just call me CRAZY, 'cuz that's how I feel!

AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

I did find the perfect house today...it's only about $200,000 outside of our budget.

Just to make sure you understand.

This sucks.

GUESS what movie we bought today?

Love it, and love the song too!

"Mommy, that boy has girl hair"

Today was a pretty good day. We had a little bit of a rough afternoon because Landon refused to nap. It only took one good upside down giggle (on his part, that is) to realize why he gave up on his precious sleep and that boy LOVES his sleep (I only wish that was the case when he was an infant).

A MOLOR is beginning to break through. Poor little kid. He has 5 teeth on top now, and still 2 little ones on the bottom. I guess there isn't a clear cut rule as to how they get them, because I've never been able to predict which ones will come next.

I opted to take the kids out for a quick and easy dinner since our afternoon routine was pretty much shot. Kelly, of course, had to work late, so it was just me and my fellas. Both of the boys LOVE waffles, so we headed to Waffle House. I guess they're all over the US, but if you're not familiar with the restaurant, it's a 24 hour, greasy food joint, but their waffles are TO DIE FOR. I was in the mood for a patty melt and my usual hashbrowns, scattered, smothered (onions), and covered(cheese) (YUUUUMMMMM!).

We sat down and ordered, and all the while, I was responding to Colin's normal smattering of questions and comments:

"Mommy, why is the waitress over there on that side of the wall?"

"Mommy, look at the light (a large round one), it looks like the MOON."

(The waitress comes by and brings our food.)

"Mommy, how do they get back behind there to make the food?"

Next comes the kicker.

Remember, this is a 24 hour joint, in the SOUTH.




"Mommy, (referring to the cook), why does that boy have girl hair?"





Thank GOD, we already had our food.




Now, if any of you have a 3 year old. You understand, that the voice of said 3 year old knows NO level of refrain, even when said 3 year old is talking about a person who is about 10 feet away from them.

Translation: EVERY. ONE. HEARD HIM.

Nice.

You just don't realize what you will have to deal with when you become a parent do you, but it sure makes life interesting.

Kyle's Story

This is heartwrenching.

Colin is currently in a booster seat.

I think that is going to change after seeing this video.

Have I ever mentioned that I *really* dislike the Fall and Winter??

It's freakin' 5:45 pm and it's pitch black outside.

YUCK.

Halloween Pics!

Well, we started out the festivities the night before Halloween, by carving our pumpkins. That was not the original plan, but when Mommy forgets, that is a HECK of a lot better than trying to carve them Halloween night.

Here's Landon trying to figure out how the HECK he's going to get that entire pumpkin in his mouth.

Don't worry, he never did.




Colin on pumpkin carving night. I know this picture is really fuzzy, but I just LOVE the look of sheer joy in his face!!

If there is anything in the world that will make you smile, it's seeing that look, or hearing the giggle that went along with it.

Love it.





Introducing, Colin the DRAGON (ROOOAARRRRR!) and his buddy, Dominic, the Ninja Turtle.

Colin was ALL in to trick or treating this year. We made it about half-way around the neighborhood before he puttered out. He drug poor Dominic with him the entire way. Sorry little buddy!







Please meet Landon the monkey.

Poor kid. I told you that he will eat anything, even a stuffed banana! Maybe he was just trying to act the part??

He did enjoy some M&M's that night. If only you knew me when...I don't think Colin had chocolate until his second birthday.

Metamorphosis

I am constantly in awe of how things change.

I look at my life now, compared to where I was 4 years ago, and I am amazed at how naive I feel I once was.

I look at my boys, and I'm shocked at how much I love them. How fiercly I would protect them from harm, from hurt, from anything that might tarnish their sweet, clear eyed view of our world.

I look at this world, and wonder if I've done the right thing bringing my boys in to it. In a way, I feel that my desire...my "need" to have children, over-rode my knowledge of the world that I destined them to be a part of. A world that will most likely let them down in some way, shape, or form.

I look at my Husband and my marriage. I remember how "easy" it once was. I remember people telling us that, "marriage is work", and thinking to myself, "nah..this is easy! We love each other and THAT is what matters".

It used to be easy.

I hate that I took those easy times for granted.

I see now, what people meant by, "marriage is work".

In the day to day grind of work, kids, bills, grocery trips, laundry, and all of the countless tasks that equal our lives....it seems like we've lost each other.

I don't mean that I love my Husband any less. Not at all. I just mean that, the ease with which we used to love each other, just isn't there any more.

We have to work to spend time together. We have to work to communicate. Hell, we even have to pay someone (a babysitter that is) so that we can have some alone time where we're not either asleep, or just dog-tired and cleaning up someone else's mess so we can then go to bed and go BACK to sleep.

I wish it could be easy again.

I miss my Husband. I miss my best friend that I married six and a half years ago.

I love my boys, and I would never change the fact that they are here, but I'm just trying to figure out how all of this works.

Is there ever enough time or energy for everyone? I want to be the best Mom I can be, but I also know that part of that includes being the best wife, partner, and LORI that I can be.

Why is it that so many Moms (and hey...probably even Dad's) sacrifice themselves for their children?

The reason that my children are here in the first place is because my Husband and I loved each other first. It kills me to think that in caring for them...in loving them....I'm losing or hurting the very reason that they exist. Something, someone, that I love very much, but I barely feel I know or can connect to anymore.

We go through our lives and take care of our priorities, but it seems WE, just aren't a priority anymore.

If anyone out there has it figured out. Please let me know.

It just seems like the cruelest of ironies.

Looks Like Some People Can't Take a Joke

Or take the time to read the rest of my blog.

You may want to start practicing what you preach my dear.

I certainly appreciate the irony.

School Pictures

Look at my handsome boys! LOL!

Colin looks like he's thinking..., "I've got you NOW sucker!"

Last year's Spring pictures turned out a lot better.

Colin had to be bribed with candy to sit for these. I think it was the matching vests. Even at 3, he knows that they're kind of cheesy.

Oh well, you can't blame a Mommy for trying, right?

I'm A Genius!!

I finally figured it out.

5 or more hours of sleep = A good day.

5 or LESS hours of sleep= A not so good day.

Now, if I could only solve this insomnia problem that I have.

An Afternoon At The Mall

It's pretty cold outside today, at least for the south. We actually had to wear jackets believe it or not.

I decided to get us out of the house so that we all wouldn't go crazy. We ran up to the mall and grabbed a bite to eat and then decided to run over to the play area where the kids always have a great time. Landon loves it because he gets to run around like one of the "big boys". I love it because it's closed in, and he can't get that far away from me.

It's a cess-pool of germs, so needless to say, I brought my stash of anti-bacterial wipes with me and put them to good use.

I know that there are fewer pictures of Colin, but at this stage in his life, he runs from the camera screaming, so I'm lucky that I was able to get at least one really good one.

(oh the exciting times of a stay at home mom and her boys right?? Hey, at least they're darn cute!)

Tag! I'm it...you may be next!

Thanks Andria!

I needed something to get my mind off of yesterday's crappiness.

So, here is my mission, and yep...I've accepted!

This mission, if you choose to accept it, is to list nine weird things about yourself and then tag nine more people to do the same, so watch out, you might be next.

1. I have extra sensitive hearing. The high school spanish classes that I taught hated it! It's not much fun at all now,though, with two young children and lots of noisy toys at home. I have worked long and hard with Colin to walk "softly" through the house (we have all hardwoods downstairs), He even runs softly. Landon's new favorite past time is screeching, so, we're working on a lower decibal version of it so he can still have fun, and not drive his Momma crazy.

2. I have a little bit of a hoarding tendency. I never realized it until I saw an Oprah show on it. Thank GOD I'm not as bad as the woman she had on there (she wouldn't clean up the dog poop on her floor! ICK!), but I still have what could be a slight problem (at least for our counter space anyway). I can't stand to throw out advertisements, catalogs, and magazines. I have this, "what if I ever want to look at it or read it" thought, and it just tears me up to throw the damn things out. I'm getting better at getting rid of them now, since I see my tendencies. Thank goodness my anal retentive Hubby balances out that side of me too. I think it's true that opposites attract!

3. I joke about being a germ-a-phobe, but truly, TRULY...I worry about germs and my kids. Every time I am at Target, I stock up on wet ones, antibacterial wipes, and I am constantly wiping down high chairs, tables, and my children's hands. I wash my hands at every opportunity, and I have Colin wash his any time he can. I'm sure I can't prevent all illnesses in my kids, but I'll be damned if I won't try. I'm not OCD, but the thought of germs just icks me out.

4. I sleep with four pillows. It started out as two, one under my head and the other on top of my head. I pull the covers right up under my chin and make a "breathe hole", and that's how I sleep. When I was pregnant with Colin I added the other two. I started sleeping with one between my legs and another behind my back, and now I can't sleep any other way. You really have to look to find me in the bed. It's a hoot. Oh, my poor husband.

5. I have the same hoarding tendency with pictures of my kids. I buy those big packages at the picture place to give them away to family and friends, and then I have to FORCE myself to do it! It's nuts! Why would I need to keep 5 different sizes of the exact same photo right?

I think I need therapy.

6. My second to the last little toe on both feet is shaped really funny. It's really skinny where it attaches to my foot, and then curves and gets really fat towards the end. It runs in my family, so at least I know I'm not adopted (DARN!)

7. I'm really funny about who I will let watch my kids. We had our first babysitter for both children (meaning both were up and had to be put to bed by the babysitter) one week ago. I don't know if it means I'm just *that* controlling, or if I am simply incessently worried about my boys. Other than that, it's been my Mom who watches them for us. She just can't do it at the drop of a hat though, because she lives a good hour and a half away.

I'm vowing to use a babysitter more often. I need it for my sanity, and our marriage needs it so we can actually have some quality time together.

8. I have dreams about going back to college and flunking out even though I already have a degree. I'm always either showing up for class and it's a big exam day (and I have NO IDEA what on), or I am at the graduation ceremony and I haven't been to one single class, ever.

Think I have issues with failing at something??? Hmmmmm.....

9. I can't spend more than $20 on something without putting myself on a horrible guilt trip. I think I'm getting better at it, but I used to "piddle" my money away on unsubstantial things because I couldn't get over the "$20" issue. Weird.

So...those are just a few of the things about me that are a little odd.

Whew...that was cathartic!

I'm tagging the following people: Gina , Melissa, BethGo, Peggie, and Mike.

Yep, I'm a loser. I think those are the only five people who actually read my blog (other than you Andria, but I think it wouldn't be fair to tag ya again!) :)

Hey, if you do read and lurk, and you want to be tagged, just let me know! You'll be next!

Getting it out...(update: tmi warning!)

Ummmm, yeah.

I started my period.

No nasty, bitchy woman comments k?? ( 'cuz at this point I might reach through the computer and rip your head off if you do.)

It sucks to be hormonal, but nice to know I won't feel this way forever

whew!

Getting it out...

Today is one of those days when I wonder what the heck it is that I've gotten myself in to.

I love my boys. I appreciate and realize HOW lucky and blessed I am to have them, that they are healthy and happy, and that I am able to stay home with them.

It's just that today I feel like I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I can't stand it when the little things get to me. When I barely have to patience to get my three year old dressed. When the thought of having to find something else to wear to church tonight because the weather has gone from 30 degrees to 68 over the course of the day drives me to tears. When I can't just let go of the little things and enjoy my family and I'm constantly nit-picking everything.....UGH! I am NOT this person.

I've had other times like this and they all seem to revolve around Kelly's busy times at work, when he's home very little. Lord knows I've got it easy compared to the military wives out there, so I hate to admit it...but I'm just having a really rough time right now.

The problem is that it's only going to get worse. December will probably be a little easier than that last few weeks, but once January hits....busy season is on. Any other accounting "widows" out there who know what I'm talking about?? It will be that way through March or April.

We always manage to make it through the busy times, but it's never easy. In this state of mind though....I just don't see how I'm going to do it this year.

We don't have any family that is close enough to help out, so it's just us. I'm thinking that I might need a babysitter to come to the house maybe two days a week for a couple hours...just to take some of the pressure off. To watch the boys and play with them while I go to the grocery store, or cook dinner, or do laundry.

It's amazing how much better I feel when I don't feel like ALL of the responsibility is on my shoulders.

We have to make it work. I just don't know how we're going to.

The County Fair

Today was a beautiful day!

Finally, the sun decided to make an appearance (HALLELUJAH!). I think we really only had two blah days, but it's amazing how much you can miss that bright, hot, orb in the sky. In retrospect, it's also REALLY amazing how much it affects my mood. That, and the fact that my Hubby has been working WAAAAY too much the past two weeks.

Here's hoping that the mix of sunshine and adult interaction make for a much happier Lori over the weekend.

We decided to go on an adventure and visit the County Fair today. I, for one, used to love going to the state fair. I grew up in the state capitol, so it was something that I looked forward to every October.

I guess it's been a while since I've been. The boys had a blast, but I was pretty much overtaken with nausea by the time we left. The combination of pure sugar (cotton candy and a funnel cake shared with the boys and a friend) on an otherwise empty stomach, second hand smoke ( I feel like I smoked two packs of cigarettes with the amount I inhaled), and the exhaust from the rides was just overwhelming.

It's funny how a ten year break from something can really change your perspective.

I also forgot just how expensive the fair can be. I was ILL prepared financially and had to bum some money from the friends that we met there. Get this, tickets were pretty much $1 a piece, and then each ride was a LEAST 3 tickets per person. For all three of us to ride one ride it cost $9. Luckily, Colin was a *big* boy, and rode many of them all by himself. Landon and I did get to ride a few, so we weren't completely left out.

I think I was able to get some pretty good pics. I'll get them up as soon as I can.

Good News, Bad News

The good news to report:

Actually, the GREAT news is that Landon has gained some weight...WOO-HOO!!!! He went from 19 pounds 10 ounces to 20 pounds 2 ounces in two weeks. I guess I was doing something wrong huh? (mommy guilt! mommy guilt!) We'll just stick with the plan of shoving food into his mouth at every opportunity, and maybe he'll be back up to his "norm" soon.

The BAD news is this:

Kid #1: Landon STILL has an ear infection and he is on a new antibiotic. The very same one that gave us a RAGING case of thrush just a few short months ago. (JOY. At least we still have the medicine we need if it does sneak up on us again.) Plus, he's nursing a LOT less, so hopefully that will help.

If his ears don't improve in the next 2 weeks, then Dr. Cook is going to refer us to an ENT. I'm a little scared of the possibility of tubes, but if it helps him, then I'm all for it. I'm glad that the Doc is being assertive about his treatment too, and not just blowing it off.

Kid #2: Colin has a touch of bronchitis. He's wheezing a little bit, which I hadn't noticed (mommy guilt! mommy guilt!). I could tell, though, that his cough had gotten a lot worse. SOoooo, HE is on a Z-pack, and some kick ASS cough medicine. If his cough doesn't improve in the next 3-4 days, it will be breathing treatments for him.

I'm just praying that I can keep all of this medicine straight and not give the wrong stuff to the wrong kid.

Another job I didn't realize I had signed on for, pharmacist and 24 hour, on-call nurse.

They're my boys though....they're worth it.

Back to the Doctor Today

My stomach hurts.

We're going back to have Landon's ears checked since he finished his round of antibiotics last week. Too bad he's SICK again (along with his big brother).

Any of you Mom's and Dad's out there know what happens when your child gets sick? Yep. They don't EAT well.

I can only imagine what Dr. Cook's comment is going to be if and when we see that Landon has lost a couple of ounces.

UGH...the MOMMY guilt!!

Wish us luck.

Landon the Destroyer

Caught in the ACT!!!

Who knew that a drawer full of koozies, bibs, kitchen towels and a napkin ring (huh??) could be so much fun?















This is serious business, yo.
















Where's that damn napkin ring?

Rainy, Nasty, Day

Both of the boys are sick again. I swear we didn't even get a WEEK break this time! What a pain in the arse.

I do have some good news to report though. Hubby and I actually had a night out last night, and we HIRED A BABYSITTER....GASP!!! If you knew me in REAL life, you would realize what an accomplishment that is for me. I don't leave my kids with anyone except my mother or father and stepmom.

We attended a Young Life dinner with some friends from church and it was amazing! I was blown away by the speakers and the impact that Young Life has in the lives of kids today. If I ever get a life back (meaning when my kids are old enough and my Hubby actually can be home with them so I have a little free time for myself...YA right!), I'd love to volunteer with them. I think my background as a high school teacher would be helpful, and besides, I don't feel much older than 18, even though I'm 33 ( boy...that LOOKS old now that I've actually typed it!).

The sitter was a college aged teacher assistant from Colin's preschool. A really nice girl who Colin seems to like. He asked me all day over and over, when she was going to get there. Once she finally did, he pretty much tried to shove us out the door. It was great. Landon was a little shy at first, but when I carried him over to her, he reached to her with both hands and hugged her as hard as he could (um, am I in trouble later in life? Dumping their mother without a second thought??). I could have been sad, but it's nice to know that we now have a sitter we can trust, and someone that both of the boys like. Neither child flinched as we walked out the door (sniff, sniff).

When we got home, for some odd reason, EVERY single light was on in the house. I mean every light people. Maybe she's scared of the dark? I didn't ask. She said that she had a little trouble getting Landon down and that he cried for a little while. I realized why once she left and I went to peek in on him. She left the light on in his room! (maybe she transferred her fear to him?? Who knows.) Poor little fella....he's used to it being pitch dark, minus the little indiglo night-light we have in there. I made a mental note to ask her to turn it off next time around.

So, that's my less than exciting update to my less than exciting life. We rented some movies so we could stay in and avoid the rain for the rest of the day.

TV. It's a good thing.

The Laugh of The Day

Last week sucked.

Hubby was so busy at work that we barely saw each other, and the kids and I were ready for a change once the weekend rolled around. Luckily, Kelly only had to work all day Saturday, instead of both Saturday and Sunday. (Notice me trying to spin the positive instead of the negative...yeah, whatever.)

So....Sunday rolled around and needless to say, it was such a blessing to have Daddy home, but alas, I digress.

Landon started off the day by falling (that happens a lot to wobbly-walkers, not that I am a horrible mother) and getting a pretty nasty bump on his forehead.

This morning, as I was changing his diaper, I said, "Wow Landon, you have a bruise on your forehead from your fall yesterday".

Colin looked at me and said,

"A bruise?"


(*****drumroll please*****)


"On his three-head?"


?

(Get it?? "four" head??....... "Three" head"??)


?

Hey, for a three year old, I thought it was pretty good.

Maybe you just had to be there.

Earthquake in Hawaii??

I just found out about this! My Dad and Stepmom are vacationing there as we speak!!

My brother spoke to him this morning and they are okay. I'm waiting to talk to them and get the scoop.

This is definitely not something that I would normally worry about (and I can find some things to worry about!). I'm just glad that they're okay.

How freaky.

Three Year Old Question Of The Day

A little background (this may be a little "tmi" for some of you, consider yourself warned!)

I have nursed both of my boys. Colin weaned himself at 11 months, so no problem there. He went straight to drinking whole milk pretty much right away, so I considered it a smooooth transition.

Landon, on the other hand, LOVES to nurse! I think that he would probably nurse for the rest of his life if I allowed him to (he's definitely a BOOB man!). I planned to nurse him for a year initially and we made it that far and then some. He's down to nursing only in the mornings when he wakes up, and then at night right before he goes to bed.

I've often thought of weaning him, but considering that he's my last little one, the idea of it is bittersweet. I love the idea of having a little more freedom, but then it's such a special time for us to connect before and after our hectic days. It doesn't interfere with much of anything either because of the times that he does it, so we continue.

On to today.

We're at the mall, eating our lunch. Out of the BLUE (I mean, smack you in the face because you didn't expect it, out of the blue), Colin looks at me and says, "Mommy, why does milk come out of your boobies?".

I know that the people sitting in close proximity enjoyed the sweet tea that I consequently spewed out of my mouth in sheer surprise and embarrasment, along with the at length explanation as to why, "milk comes out of my boobies".

I guess I expected a question like that when Landon was born and I was nursing around the clock...but 13 months later??

Nice.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's on the Market We Go!

Sorry I've been laying low the last couple of days.I've actually been pretty busy. Visiting with my Father who was in town, cleaning up the house, FEEDING my youngest child at every possible opportunity, and then writing every bite down in his food diary. Ugh....poor little kid. He's going to have nightmares of his Momma chasing him around with a spoonful of something for the rest of his life!

He's still eating just fine. I've basicly resigned myself to feeding him his 3 meals a day, and then aiming for two more snacks on top of that. I usually am able to get one in. I honestly think he'd rather sleep than eat....so maybe that's where our problem is. It's 8:48 in the A.M. and he's still snoring away. Maybe he's trying to make up for all of those sleepness nights when he was little?? I'm walking around in a foggy haze due to this cold that I have. YUCK! All the boys had it a week or two ago, so now I guess it's my turn to join in the fun. YIPPEE! (sniff)

We met with a realtor this weekend about selling our home. It went really well and once we get our front porch painted (yeah...small job right??), we will be listing it. I'm not looking forward to chasing my tail and trying to keep up with the wave of destruction that follows my youngest child in this house. In a matter of minutes, he can empty EVERY bottom drawer in the kitchen, pull out 50% of the toys in the toy box and toss them all over the living room, and shred a box of tissues so it looks like it's been snowing indoors. I usually just leave it to clean once the boys go to bed, but I guess that's not possible if we could have potential buyers coming in at any moment.

The house that we had fallen in love with is now under contract...by someone else that is. It sucks royally. I keep trying to tell myself that it, "wasn't meant to be", and that something else we like will come available, but we haven't seen anything yet. So why are we rushing to put our house up for sale you ask? Because the problem with the first one was that we HAD to have our house SOLD to buy it. I can just imagine us selling this one, and then having nowhere to go....

Oh the joys.

Uh, Oh....I'm one of THOSE people!

Okay. I admit it. I called. Yep. It was me, and I'm GLAD I did it.

Tell me if you would have done the same.

So, I'm sure that there is one gas station in town where you always stop for your quick fill up. Am I right? Well, there is one that I drive by, literelly, at least 6 times a day. This used to be my, "quick fill up" place.

Several months ago, I was standing by my car doing the usual pre-fill up routine of swiping my card, making my selections, and putting the gas nozzle in my car (all the while trying not to touch anything for more than a nanosecond...have I mentioned that I'm a germ-a-phobe??) and I take a second and look over at the building. Nothing too unusual was going on. Two of the employees were sitting by the side of the building chatting and having their smoke break. I sat in my car with the boys to wait for the usual "clunk" of the handle to get out and finish my transaction, and that is when I realized that there wasn't anything unusual going on...just something highly STUPID and dangerous! I saw one of the women sit down on a milk crate and noticed that behind them, there was a sign very similar to this one. Those idiots were leaning against the PROPANE TANK display while taking their smoke break....at the GAS STATION!!!

I guess I would normally have just blown it off and not given it a second thought, but there I sat, with my two young children in the car, next to a gas pump full of it's own highly flammable substance, not 40 feet away from them....and I got pissed!!

I don't really care that they were smoking, hey, if they want to pollute their lungs with tar and nicotine, that's their choice. Just DON'T do it and put me and my children in a dangerous situation...just to get your nicotine fix.

So, that day, I called the gas station and spoke to the manager. I explained to him that I thought it seemed like a dangerous situation, and MAYBE he should address it with his employees. He apologized profusely and said he would make sure that they smoked somewhere else. I guess I was dumb enough to believe him.

So. Friday afternoon. I was on empty, and I'm going by said gas station. I pulled in, stopped by a pump, and look up to see......guess....c'mon, can you guess?? Yep. Those idiots were smoking right next to the propane tanks again.

So. As I said before. I called. Yep.

I called the Fire Department.

As far as I'm concerned, any unknowing patron of that gas station is being placed in harm's way whenever they visit it as long as those idiots are allowed to keep taking their smoke break there. I mean, come ON!! Can't you just go to the OTHER side of the building and smoke?

I don't know exactly WHO I talked to at the Fire Department, but he was going to send an inspector out to talk to them, and also notify the patrolling officer in the area that it was going on and to be on the lookout for it.

Will it stop?? Who knows.

Will I ever buy gas there again? Nope.

Idiots.

Thank you for the vent. I feel much better now.

Fifth Percentile???

I ask you.

Does this look like a child who is lacking nourishment???
















Wednesday pretty much sucked.

Nice way to start a post huh?

Landon had his 12 month well baby check yesterday ( a month late due to our lack of insurance coverage b/c of Hubby's recent job change), and all started out routine. I knew that we might be looking at an ear infection because he's been Mr. snotty nose for at least a week now, but I thought that would be the worst news that we would hear.

Needless to say, when Dr. Cook looked at his weight, and checked his position on the growth chart with a concerned look on his face, I started to feel a little anxious. "How are his eating habits?" he asked. Well, "He eats like a horse at pretty much every meal", I responded. SOOoooo, we both were a little surprised that he falls in the FIFTH PERCENTILE for his age group. HUH???? He's also been on a decline for weight since he was 9 months old. He's gone from averaging in the 50th percentile for weight to the 25th at 9 months and then 5th percentile at 13 months.

So, he would like to see us back in 6 weeks to do a weight check.

I'm at a loss. What do I do to help my child gain weight, when he already eats as much as he possibly can at every meal? He LOVES his fruits and veggies too, so he's also not just eating crap.

The Doctor's suggestion? Make your mashed potatoes with real butter. WTF???

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Dr. Cook, but that really doesn't give me that much to go on here.

My fear is that there is something else going on. What if something is seriously wrong with my baby? I guess I'll just do my best not to "go there" for now.

I've started a food diary for him, and I'm going to give him as many opportunities as I can to eat each and every day. I can't force feed the child though...My gosh! I KNOW the one thing that we're missing is milk. My child will not TOUCH the stuff! I've tried strawberry, chocolate, and now we're trying the drinkable yogurt from YoBaby, but still no luck. Maybe we'll just go to ice-cream? My goodness...he could use the fat and calories right?

If anyone out there in the blog world has any suggestions...I'm up for them. I just want my baby to be healthy and I'll do everything I can to make sure that he is. Any prayers would be appreciated too.

I know that I've done everything that I can possibly do, as BEST as I can do it, up to this point, but the Mommy guilt is killing me....

WALKING???!!!

Leave it to my littlest guy to wait until I'M NOT HOME to start toddling all over the living room!

He's been taking 4 or 5 steps here and there, but nothing like what my Hubby and Father are describing from earlier tonight. (Yes, my Father is here for work and visiting in the evenings. More on that later.)

I ask you. When am I ever not home?

One random night out of the week when I go to praise team practice. Little stinker.

Let's hope that he struts his stuff tomorrow! I can't wait to see.

"Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style" Recipe Exchange

Apple Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 pound Sage Sausage (I usually use Jimmy Dean)
2 medium onions chopped finely
8 celery stalks chopped finely
2 large red apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (you decide how big or small you would like the pieces in your stuffing...I like small to medium size chunks)
1 stick of butter
About 8 ounces of Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing
About 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chicken broth

Cooking Instructions:

Brown the sausage in a deep, large skillet at medium heat. Once browned, add onion, celery, apples and butter. Let simmer until onions are clear and celery and apples are soft (about 20-30 minutes on medium heat). Remove from the heat and add the stuffing into the mixture a little bit at a time. Add the chicken broth (or turkey drippings from pan) to add moisture to the mixture. Use your preference as to how much to add.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until brown on top.

As I said...there is not one holiday in my family that I can not remember this dish. I have three brothers, and we now literally *fight* over the left-overs! I get cravings for it during the middle of the year and bust out my crock-pot to make a turkey breast with all of the fixins'...and this is the high point of the meal!!

I hope you enjoy...sorry for the "tardy" post..it's been a cRRAAAAZzzzy day!!!

Don't forget to check back at Overwhelmed With Joy to see all of the YUMMINESS that has been shared in blog-land! Bring on the holidays...my taste buds are SO READY!!!

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style: Recipe Exchange

I just wanted to let you all know that I am going to be participating in this recipe exchange tomorrow, Monday, October 2nd. Overwhelmed With Joy is hosting it, so if you'd like to participate, hop on over and check it out!!

I can't wait to share my family's Apple Sausage Stuffing recipe with everyone!! It's not a holiday meal with out it in my family!

Until tomorrow!! (unless something REALLY interesting happens between now and then!)

An Amazing Blog From Space

How AWESOME is this????

It's so wonderful to read about someone finally acheiving their dream, and such a big one at that!!

Check out the Anousheh Ansari Space Blog . She is the first female tourist in space, and she blogged while she was up there!!!

The way that she sees the world, and describes her experience is so inspiring.

I wish I had dreams so big.....

Rest in Peace Sweet Girl

I received a call from the vet today that Holly's "cremains" were here, so we rushed over to get them.

I think it's really beautiful.

I don't quite know what to tell Colin about it.

I stopped myself short of saying, "We're going to pick up Holly" because then I would have explain how the Holly that he remembers actually fits into this box. He knows that she died, and that's she's gone to heaven, but I just don't think that I'm quite ready to explain cremation to my three year old.

Any suggestions?

If he asks, I don't want to tip-toe around it. I believe in being honest. I just don't want to freak him out by telling him that her body was all burned up. I can imagine the nightmares that would result.

Hmmmm.

Off to research, "explaining cremation to your pre-schooler"......

Velcro: Good For Clothes, Not for Mommas

The last few days have been, ahem, "challenging" to say the least.

My littlest man, Landon, seems to have hit a patch of, "I must be velcroed to Mommy or I will scream to all bloody living hell so that everyone knows how horrible of a Mother she is", stage.

Not so much fun for Momma, I have to say.

I was looking forward to a morning of "me" time after these last few days of velcro-hell, and lucky me, Colin wakes up with a cough and nose that rivals niagra falls. Poor little guy. Sooooo, pre-school is out of the question for the day. Unlike some mother's at our preschool, we try to keep our germs here (arrgh!...another post!) .

Thanks to a reminder from Andria in her Thursday Thirteen post yesterday (You ROCK girl!), off we went to Target at 9:00 am to pick up the Curious George movie that has just been released. (LOVE that movie by the way, in case some of you other Mommas haven't seen it!)

AH!!! It seems that maybe, just maybe, my luck is changing! It was on sale for $16.99. Soooooo, velcro man got his own little Curious George board book as well.

I am now off to get a much needed shower since Colin is relaxing(hacking his head off) on the couch watching said movie, and Velcro man has released his powerful grip to take his morning nap.

I'll let you all know if my luck really has changed when he wakes up!

Future Career Option??

Naked Motorcycle Cop??
(He's going to SO kill me for this in 20 years!)

My other "favorite" question

WHAT'S FOR DINNER????

Ugh!

You know, growing up, I never said that I wanted to be anyone's personal chef or meal planner (or maid, but we can save that for another post).

Believe it or not, I really do love to cook. When I was student teaching in college, I used to de-stress by coming home and cooking a full meal for me, my roommate, and her boyfriend. It usually resulted in about a week's worth of leftovers, but it really helped me to unwind and take my mind off of a busy, crazy, day.

It would be one thing if what I cooked was liked and appreciated by all of the men in my family, but that is certainly FAR from the case. Colin refuses to eat anything other than chicken nuggets, peanut butter sandwiches (mind you...NO jelly...the kid would freak if you put it on there!) popcorn, and cinammon crunch bagels from Panera. Hubby is usually working late, so he's not here to eat with us most nights, and my little Landon. God bless him! You would think that HE would be the picky one, but he eats pretty much anything you shovel in to his mouth. LOADS of it too!

So, I'm sitting here at 4:00 in the afternoon, asking myself my second favorite question.....What's for dinner? I would LOVE to make some sort of chicken with curry sauce (mmmmm, we had a curry dip at the Melting Pot that was to DIE for, that's my inspiration!), but do I even bother?? I would end up having to make something else for Colin, and the ulitmate "yumminess" of it would be lost on my Dear Hubby when he comes home at 8pm and it had been sitting for 3 or more hours. Ohhhhh......

Maybe we should just settle for hot dogs on the grill? Quick, easy, no fuss. Landon will eat them, and how much different does a hot dog taste 3 minutes or 3 hours after you've cooked it? Am I right??

Now I wonder why I can't get rid of these pesky 25 extra pounds?? Yep, I agree. I think it would be the kid friendly, easy, no fuss dinners that pay no mind to taste, fat, or calories.

Now...what was for dinner??? Damn!

Pick up lines at Books A Million

(Colin)....."What's your name"

(Random girl)....."Parker Laney Smith"

(Colin)....."Hi, My name's Colin"

(Colin)....."How old are you?"

(Random girl)....."I'm three"

(Colin)....."Me too"

(Colin)....."Wanna play with this train?"

Random girl then proceeds to flirt with his little brother....do I see the future playing out in this episode????

Mommy comment Number 1: Since when did my boy get to be so grown up??

Mommy comment Number 2: Girls are the DEVIL!!!!!!

Do we have to go back to real life?

Despite the obvious upset that we had at the start of our vacation, all in all, it was a good one. I don't know if I told you that this is the very first one that we have taken as a family...JUST the four of us. It's been long over-due.

Usually, we would "piggy back" on beach houses or lake houses that family would rent for a week or so. Our last vacation like that was a trip to the Outer Banks with my Dad, Stepmom, and the rest of my respective family. It was a beautiful, HUGE, house, on the beach. The only problem was the weather sucked (end of April beginning of May and COLD!), and having to deal with so many personalities was AWFUL. Don't get me wrong. I love my family, but distance is something that definitely is a good thing for us.

When we got home from that "vacation", we decided to have one of our own, and I'm so glad that we did. We stayed in Myrtle Beach, at a 3 bedroom condo. It wasn't what I would call a really nice place, but it was functional. It was on the beach, had a pool, close to restaurants and attractions, and *relatively* clean.

Here is a picture of me and Landon. It's one of those RARE photos that actually prove that I was there! Pretty much 90% of the pictures were taken by me, so I'm surprised to even come home with one that I'm in!


Colin LOVE, love, LOOOOOOVED, the beach. He and Kelly were out there pretty much every day digging in the sand and playing in the waves. Landon wasn't a fan at first, but changed his mind the second day out there. He loved destroying the sand castles that Kelly and Colin would build, and sitting in the huge holes that would result from their digging. Once he discovered the surf and the waves, he would crawl RIGHT out in to the water! We had to watch him closely to make sure that he wasn't knocked over...but he loved it when he was.

One of our last nights there, we went to The Melting Pot. It was Kelly's idea. I had my reservations as to how the kids would do, but it was probably the most fun evening of them all! Colin loved dipping our food for us. Of course, he opted for one of the "delicacies" from the McDonald's Menu that we bought on our WAY to the Melting Pot, but he loved helping us eat our fondue. Landon munched on the fruit and veggies served with our dinner. Here's my bunch of crazy guys that night playing around at the table. Napkin for a hat anyone??

I have a feeling that the restaurant was probably happy to see us go once our dinner was over. I don't care though, to be truly honest. I just loved being with my family.

Our purpose for this vacation was to create some wonderful memories, and THAT, my friends, is exactly what we did!