(i know some people will know this and some won't) but if you click on any picture that i share in a post, it will open up a bigger version. some of these pictures are kinda hard to see, or at least make out details. just click on it and it'll open it big in a new window. hope this helps!
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Sunday, August 31, 2008
happier than a pig in you-know-what
today we decided to "explore" a small town north of us. they have an outlet mall that was having a great labor day/sidewalk sale but we needed more reason than that to spend gas money to drive the 45mins to get to the sale.
well i told B we should pack a picnic lunch and find a local park. we could eat, let the boys play, drive around the town and see what it had to offer, then head to the outlets. so once pookie woke up from his morning nap that's exactly what we did.
we found an adorable park---it was huge! it had ball diamonds, a football field and 5 separate playgrounds with equipment. well we picked the one with the rubberized ground instead of sand (for fairly obvious reasons!) and set up shop at a picnic table in the shade. we had PB&J sandwiches, goldfish, grapes, an apple, go-gurt and a few m&m's; then it was play time! the boys did have fun, but the equipment was kinda hot. i didn't get any pictures because i was constantly chasing one of them. while at the playground, we could hear all these choo-choo's so we decided to find them.
hopped in the car and less than 5 minutes away was a locomotive maintenance station. there were a TON of trains! we pulled in and parked by 2 engines that were off by themselves on a mini-track. they weren't going anywhere so we decided to let the boys pose by them for pictures. ironically enough, pooks was crazy excited and bubba was more of a quiet observer. he was very quiet and really just taking it all in. you could hear the workers repairing an engine in this hanger building, and bubba was very interested in the sounds coming from the shop. pooks however was just pointing to every train saying ''choo choo". they seemed to really enjoy it! once we were in the car again, and i showed bubba the pictures, he got REALLY excited. i think he was just overwhelmed while in the moment.
we then went shopping (found some great bargains for all 3 kiddos) then headed back into town. we stopped at a gas station to fill up and the local firefighters were there doing ''fill our boots for muscular dystrophy" fundraiser. while pooks slept in the car, B filled up the car and i took bubba over to give our donation and see the fire engine up close. after we gave the fireman our donation, i asked if bubba could get his picture taken by the fire engine. he said he could do one better and he let bubba sit in the cab! bubba was like a pig in mud! he was smiling from ear to ear making his ''wooOOO wooOOO wooOOO" noises. i told him to smile and he was cheesing it up! (even the fireman commented that he looked like he was posing for a senior portrait, LOL)
just goes to show you that even in today's society, kids still get really excited about random road trips with completely FREE activites! and this was a big deal for me too! anyone who knows me, knows i HATE HATE HATE being lost. yet i openly suggested going to a town that i wasn't familar with, finding a park once there and just going with the flow. it worked out really well! now we're going to grill some burgers and enjoy the evening at home!
hope you liked all the pics :)
well i told B we should pack a picnic lunch and find a local park. we could eat, let the boys play, drive around the town and see what it had to offer, then head to the outlets. so once pookie woke up from his morning nap that's exactly what we did.
we found an adorable park---it was huge! it had ball diamonds, a football field and 5 separate playgrounds with equipment. well we picked the one with the rubberized ground instead of sand (for fairly obvious reasons!) and set up shop at a picnic table in the shade. we had PB&J sandwiches, goldfish, grapes, an apple, go-gurt and a few m&m's; then it was play time! the boys did have fun, but the equipment was kinda hot. i didn't get any pictures because i was constantly chasing one of them. while at the playground, we could hear all these choo-choo's so we decided to find them.
looky what we found!
hopped in the car and less than 5 minutes away was a locomotive maintenance station. there were a TON of trains! we pulled in and parked by 2 engines that were off by themselves on a mini-track. they weren't going anywhere so we decided to let the boys pose by them for pictures. ironically enough, pooks was crazy excited and bubba was more of a quiet observer. he was very quiet and really just taking it all in. you could hear the workers repairing an engine in this hanger building, and bubba was very interested in the sounds coming from the shop. pooks however was just pointing to every train saying ''choo choo". they seemed to really enjoy it! once we were in the car again, and i showed bubba the pictures, he got REALLY excited. i think he was just overwhelmed while in the moment.
a very excited pooks jumping down, bubba was not so sure
bubba ''smiling" when i told him to say "cheese"
we then went shopping (found some great bargains for all 3 kiddos) then headed back into town. we stopped at a gas station to fill up and the local firefighters were there doing ''fill our boots for muscular dystrophy" fundraiser. while pooks slept in the car, B filled up the car and i took bubba over to give our donation and see the fire engine up close. after we gave the fireman our donation, i asked if bubba could get his picture taken by the fire engine. he said he could do one better and he let bubba sit in the cab! bubba was like a pig in mud! he was smiling from ear to ear making his ''wooOOO wooOOO wooOOO" noises. i told him to smile and he was cheesing it up! (even the fireman commented that he looked like he was posing for a senior portrait, LOL)
just goes to show you that even in today's society, kids still get really excited about random road trips with completely FREE activites! and this was a big deal for me too! anyone who knows me, knows i HATE HATE HATE being lost. yet i openly suggested going to a town that i wasn't familar with, finding a park once there and just going with the flow. it worked out really well! now we're going to grill some burgers and enjoy the evening at home!
hope you liked all the pics :)
Friday, August 29, 2008
update on peanut and I
my OB appt went well! i'm up 11lbs, which is good/normal. a pound a week is expected from here on out, so we shall see! my BP was perfect 133/69 and there was no protein in my urine, so that means that the elevated blood pressure before was a fluke...thank goodness!! there would be no way for me to be on bed rest and take care of bubba and pooks. no worries there.
peanut had a good strong heartbeat. bubba went to my appt with me, so he got to hear it. he seemed to think it was pretty cool. in the ultrasound from before, peanut was measuring about 5 days bigger than ''average''. Dr P isn't worried or concerned at all and we're not changing my due date or anything. today when he measured my uterus he said i was measuring closer to 27 weeks but thats normal with subsequent pregnancies. overall, we're normal :)
i'll take a belly pic when i get home, there are no number magnets at nanaw and papa's house!
peanut had a good strong heartbeat. bubba went to my appt with me, so he got to hear it. he seemed to think it was pretty cool. in the ultrasound from before, peanut was measuring about 5 days bigger than ''average''. Dr P isn't worried or concerned at all and we're not changing my due date or anything. today when he measured my uterus he said i was measuring closer to 27 weeks but thats normal with subsequent pregnancies. overall, we're normal :)
i'll take a belly pic when i get home, there are no number magnets at nanaw and papa's house!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
shhh! its top secret
i just wanted to update a little bit. i know that i haven't been posting as often and i apologize. there is a very good reason though! (well besides the fact that i have an active 28 mos old, a heathen of a 15 mos old and i'm 6 months pregnant) i am actually starting up my own business!
there i said it.
i've avoided saying those exact words because its intimidating and frightening. i can practically feel an anxiety attack coming on, LOL. but it is very exciting and i'm hoping that everyone will like it and be impressed. and of course, tell ALL their friends!
i don't want to go into too much detail just yet. but it has to do with babies and being a mommy :) i should be ready to unveil everything within the next few weeks to a month.
right now i'm working on all the 'behind the scenes' details. i have a website set up, i've actually already had my first REAL customer (if you're reading this "thank you!"), today i designed and ordered business cards. i've been slowly building up a portfolio of sorts, seeing what works and what doesn't.
some of you know exactly what it is and have been with me every step of the way, and for that i want to say "thank you". i appreciate the feedback, advice and support. i just can't wait to share with everyone!
so while i'm not posting on here, i am posting and i promise that it's worth the wait. (at least i think so!)
there i said it.
i've avoided saying those exact words because its intimidating and frightening. i can practically feel an anxiety attack coming on, LOL. but it is very exciting and i'm hoping that everyone will like it and be impressed. and of course, tell ALL their friends!
i don't want to go into too much detail just yet. but it has to do with babies and being a mommy :) i should be ready to unveil everything within the next few weeks to a month.
right now i'm working on all the 'behind the scenes' details. i have a website set up, i've actually already had my first REAL customer (if you're reading this "thank you!"), today i designed and ordered business cards. i've been slowly building up a portfolio of sorts, seeing what works and what doesn't.
some of you know exactly what it is and have been with me every step of the way, and for that i want to say "thank you". i appreciate the feedback, advice and support. i just can't wait to share with everyone!
so while i'm not posting on here, i am posting and i promise that it's worth the wait. (at least i think so!)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
i stand corrected....
one of THOSE days...
i'll start with a big *sigh*
its just a little past lunch now and already i wish i could curl up in bed. the day started out okay. the boys slept til 7:50am. 2 diapers changed and then it was time for breakfast. i had a cup of coffee and checked my email while they ate their cereal, yogurt and fruit. sounds okay, right?
then pooks dumped his cereal all over the floor. no big deal, i clean it up. then bubba dumps all his yogurt in his cereal then decides that its 'icky' and won't eat it. he wants goldfish. i told him to get down, he'd have a snack in a bit.
i'm washing off the booster trays when bubba comes up to me, pointing to his butt and says ''me poo'd". okay. so i go and change him. well for whatever reason, he had diarrhea. not pleasant for either of us, esp when preggo, but i deal with it. come back out to the living room and pooks is clinging to me like velcro. wants me to pick him up, so i do. i make the mistake of trying to sit on the couch with him--nope. he wants me to stand. well i figure he's probably a bit fussy since he had to get those 2 shots yesterday. maybe his legs are sore or something? so i hold him for a bit. he starts leaning against me and playing with my hair. which means: he's tired. its 8:45am but okay, i'll lay him down for a nap.
he goes down without a peep. i come back to the kitchen to wash the breakfast dishes. bubba still wants fish so i get him a snack bowl and he has his crackers. he settles down and watches 'wonder pets' while i finish the dishes (3rd attempt) and start some laundry. i go into the living room and guess who ''poo'd'' again? yeah. so i don't know why. he's acting fine, no fever, didn't eat anything odd yesterday---IDK. so i change him.
by now its 9:30. i dont know if he is ''sick'' or doesn't feel good or what. pooks is still asleep and we're suppose to go to playgroup at 10:45, but we have to leave no later than 10:15. its not going to happen. so scratch that idea, so much for storytime.
bubba and i snuggle up and watch 'jon and kate + 8'. by 11am pooks is still sleeping and i'm feeling kinda crappy myself. just sluggish and tired, although i got plenty of sleep. bubba pretty much played by himself and we read books til 11:45 when pooks finally woke up...with a dirty diaper.
peachy. so that makes 3 #2's in less than 4 hours. lovely. just how everyone dreams of spending their morning, right?
the boys play for a bit while i figure out the whole lunch thing. obviously we don't want anything to heavy since they both are having digestive ''issues''. i opt to fix our version of ''ramen noodles'' (we were out of Campbell's chicken and noodles). our version includes the ramen noodles, pretty much drained of broth, cooked with frozen peas and carrots with only 1/2 the seasoning packet mixed in. not exactly healthy but not horrible. pooks devoured his, bubba kept throwing his while they both laughed hysterically at this.
when lunch is finally over, they go play while i clean up the kitchen. noodles are everywhere. all over pooks body, over both chairs, the floor, there is a fork under the table and peas mashed into booster seats. call in the dogs! they clean up the floor while i work on the chairs. i move the clothes from the washer to the dryer and wash all the dishes and random sippy cups that seem to end up everywhere.
when i return to the playroom, i find that the boys tipped over every single ride on (which includes a car, a firetruck, and elmo ride on, a pooh ride on, a cozy coupe, a vTech ride one, a fisher price ride on and one shopping cart--yes our playroom looks like somesort of toy garage). they are playing with the wheels, laughing and having a good time. sounds like fun except for the STENCH in the room.
yep, bubba again. diaper change #4.
by 1:20pm it is naptime. i change both boys, lay them down, read 2 stories and leave the room. 35 mins later i finally hear silence. i need to go peek in on them, then i'm taking a nap!
so those people that think being a stay at home mom is all naps, bubbles and coloring--dead wrong. it is sometimes those things; mixed in with boo-boos, poop, goldfish crumbs, noodle residue, fighting, sippy cups leaking and dogs barking.
i love it and wouldn't change jobs for the world, although i wish i could occasionally play hookie ;)
only 6 hours til bedtime *sigh*
its just a little past lunch now and already i wish i could curl up in bed. the day started out okay. the boys slept til 7:50am. 2 diapers changed and then it was time for breakfast. i had a cup of coffee and checked my email while they ate their cereal, yogurt and fruit. sounds okay, right?
then pooks dumped his cereal all over the floor. no big deal, i clean it up. then bubba dumps all his yogurt in his cereal then decides that its 'icky' and won't eat it. he wants goldfish. i told him to get down, he'd have a snack in a bit.
i'm washing off the booster trays when bubba comes up to me, pointing to his butt and says ''me poo'd". okay. so i go and change him. well for whatever reason, he had diarrhea. not pleasant for either of us, esp when preggo, but i deal with it. come back out to the living room and pooks is clinging to me like velcro. wants me to pick him up, so i do. i make the mistake of trying to sit on the couch with him--nope. he wants me to stand. well i figure he's probably a bit fussy since he had to get those 2 shots yesterday. maybe his legs are sore or something? so i hold him for a bit. he starts leaning against me and playing with my hair. which means: he's tired. its 8:45am but okay, i'll lay him down for a nap.
he goes down without a peep. i come back to the kitchen to wash the breakfast dishes. bubba still wants fish so i get him a snack bowl and he has his crackers. he settles down and watches 'wonder pets' while i finish the dishes (3rd attempt) and start some laundry. i go into the living room and guess who ''poo'd'' again? yeah. so i don't know why. he's acting fine, no fever, didn't eat anything odd yesterday---IDK. so i change him.
by now its 9:30. i dont know if he is ''sick'' or doesn't feel good or what. pooks is still asleep and we're suppose to go to playgroup at 10:45, but we have to leave no later than 10:15. its not going to happen. so scratch that idea, so much for storytime.
bubba and i snuggle up and watch 'jon and kate + 8'. by 11am pooks is still sleeping and i'm feeling kinda crappy myself. just sluggish and tired, although i got plenty of sleep. bubba pretty much played by himself and we read books til 11:45 when pooks finally woke up...with a dirty diaper.
peachy. so that makes 3 #2's in less than 4 hours. lovely. just how everyone dreams of spending their morning, right?
the boys play for a bit while i figure out the whole lunch thing. obviously we don't want anything to heavy since they both are having digestive ''issues''. i opt to fix our version of ''ramen noodles'' (we were out of Campbell's chicken and noodles). our version includes the ramen noodles, pretty much drained of broth, cooked with frozen peas and carrots with only 1/2 the seasoning packet mixed in. not exactly healthy but not horrible. pooks devoured his, bubba kept throwing his while they both laughed hysterically at this.
when lunch is finally over, they go play while i clean up the kitchen. noodles are everywhere. all over pooks body, over both chairs, the floor, there is a fork under the table and peas mashed into booster seats. call in the dogs! they clean up the floor while i work on the chairs. i move the clothes from the washer to the dryer and wash all the dishes and random sippy cups that seem to end up everywhere.
when i return to the playroom, i find that the boys tipped over every single ride on (which includes a car, a firetruck, and elmo ride on, a pooh ride on, a cozy coupe, a vTech ride one, a fisher price ride on and one shopping cart--yes our playroom looks like somesort of toy garage). they are playing with the wheels, laughing and having a good time. sounds like fun except for the STENCH in the room.
yep, bubba again. diaper change #4.
by 1:20pm it is naptime. i change both boys, lay them down, read 2 stories and leave the room. 35 mins later i finally hear silence. i need to go peek in on them, then i'm taking a nap!
so those people that think being a stay at home mom is all naps, bubbles and coloring--dead wrong. it is sometimes those things; mixed in with boo-boos, poop, goldfish crumbs, noodle residue, fighting, sippy cups leaking and dogs barking.
i love it and wouldn't change jobs for the world, although i wish i could occasionally play hookie ;)
only 6 hours til bedtime *sigh*
Monday, August 25, 2008
bragging about pooks
pooks is officially 15 months old and because of that, today he had a well baby visit.
here is the info that everyone is dying to know...his weight, LOL.
pooks is 23lbs 6 oz, which places him in the 40th percentile. his height is 30.5inches (50th percentile) and his head circumference was a big ol' 19inches--placing him in the 90th percentile! so basically he is a perfectly average sized 15mos old with a larger than normal head, LOL. he is following the same curve he always has so there is no cause for concern. i like to think that his big noggin means he has a big brain in there ;)
developmentally he is right where he should be. he can walk, he can stack 2-3 blocks, he self feeds, he's on table food, he points, follows basic commands, he ''grunt, points, or speaks'' when he wants something and he can say 3-6 words in addition to 'mama' and 'dada'.
as i was listing off what he could say to the doctor, I realized that he knows how to say the craziest words! here is a list off the top of my head:
-cookie
-duck
-choo choo
-car
-nanaw
-papa (which he finally started saying last weekend)
-hi
-no
-Tasha (the yellow one from the Backyardigans)
he can also point out a digger, airplane, dog and motorcycle when he sees one. he claps, and he has started to blow kisses. he'll give you a high five, he attempts to play "patty cake" when you do and he *loves* to comb his hair.
the only thing he wouldn't do/won't do is point to body parts. and its annoying because i know that he knows some body parts. if you tell him to comb his hair, he does. obviously he knows where his hair is. but if you ask ''pooks, where is your hair'' he just grins. same thing with tummy and arms. each morning i tell him to put his arm through his shirt, and he will but then you say ''wheres your arm?" and he laughs. he's a heathen, but i love him :)
here is the info that everyone is dying to know...his weight, LOL.
pooks is 23lbs 6 oz, which places him in the 40th percentile. his height is 30.5inches (50th percentile) and his head circumference was a big ol' 19inches--placing him in the 90th percentile! so basically he is a perfectly average sized 15mos old with a larger than normal head, LOL. he is following the same curve he always has so there is no cause for concern. i like to think that his big noggin means he has a big brain in there ;)
developmentally he is right where he should be. he can walk, he can stack 2-3 blocks, he self feeds, he's on table food, he points, follows basic commands, he ''grunt, points, or speaks'' when he wants something and he can say 3-6 words in addition to 'mama' and 'dada'.
as i was listing off what he could say to the doctor, I realized that he knows how to say the craziest words! here is a list off the top of my head:
-cookie
-duck
-choo choo
-car
-nanaw
-papa (which he finally started saying last weekend)
-hi
-no
-Tasha (the yellow one from the Backyardigans)
he can also point out a digger, airplane, dog and motorcycle when he sees one. he claps, and he has started to blow kisses. he'll give you a high five, he attempts to play "patty cake" when you do and he *loves* to comb his hair.
the only thing he wouldn't do/won't do is point to body parts. and its annoying because i know that he knows some body parts. if you tell him to comb his hair, he does. obviously he knows where his hair is. but if you ask ''pooks, where is your hair'' he just grins. same thing with tummy and arms. each morning i tell him to put his arm through his shirt, and he will but then you say ''wheres your arm?" and he laughs. he's a heathen, but i love him :)
i can't believe...
that i'm 24 weeks along already!
i know i saw the ultrasound, i know they say it's a boy and i know i saw what looked like boy parts BUT this pregnancy could not be any more opposite than my other two! its so mind-boggling!
first of all, i have NONE of the same symptoms. with bubba and pooks, i had horrible morning sickness into my 2nd trimester. with this pregnancy i haven't been sick. i've had horrible heartburn, which i had bouts of with the boys but nothing like now. i'm taking prilosec everyday! otherwise, i can seriously barely function i am in so much pain, regardless of what i eat.
then, there is the way i'm carrying. here is an old kinda-grainy pic of 24 weeks with pooks.
i feel like i'm carrying this baby much higher than i did with him, and i carried bubba extremely low too. this time my hips are spreading which never happened before. i know this because my jeans that fit through the other pregnancies, i can't even get up over my hips! i've gained about 10 lbs (idk, i have an appt on friday), so why the heck is everything so different, if it is indeed another boy!?
i just don't get it. and i'm not in denial. i'm okay with having another boy. heck i've already bought stuff for him and other than not picking a dang name, we're almost ready! so why so much doubt??
Saturday, August 23, 2008
the most "kid-friendly" restaurant award goes to...
RED ROBIN!
yum!
(more about that in a second.)
we had a very busy day today! the boys slept in til 8:45am, then we were scurrying around to get ready and out the door before 10am. i made waffles for breakfast with our new waffle iron (which mom, I *love* it!), then we headed to old navy. O.N. was having a one-day only sale on denim jeans. all kids jeans were $7 and adults were $12. since my ever growing belly is getting larger by the day and since i've never been this preggo in winter before, i needed jeans. $12 just can't be beat, even if it means getting there right when they open. i managed to snag 2 pairs for me and one for pooks (the limit was 3 per customer). not too shabby.
next we were off to the park for a playdate. i love it when B can go with us, because then we can each watch one kid and pooks eats a lot less sand this way. the boys had a lot of fun, bubba even shared his soccer ball with the other lil' guys! pooks climbed up on the big kids equipment all by himself! once the boys were good and sweaty, we went to the pond to see the ducks. we fed some attack ducks, who apparently were starving. pooks was running up to them trying to catch them and they didn't even care; they were WAY more concerned about getting a piece of bread. at one point a duck was physically 'chewing' on pooks fingers, as in his fingers were in the ducks beak, and neither the duck nor pooks was even phased.
after washing their hands (can we say 'ewww'?) we decided to finish off the morning with lunch at red robin. we've been there twice before and i love how kid-friendly it is; they can be loud and messy and nobody notices! they get balloons and crayons and they are pretty happy campers. while i've always been impressed, today was great!
firstoff, our waiter brought out a basket of fries with our drinks. this is a life saver because naturally the second we sit down in the booth, the kids are ready to eat. they have bottomless fries so he [the waiter] assumed that it would be appreciated and it was!
secondly, the boys usually split a kids meal when we are out. i told the waiter that they would be sharing a kids meal, but could we go ahead and get them each a drink? he said "sure, they're free. what would they like?" AWESOME! so they each got a cup of apple juice and he was smart enough to know NOT to fill the cup to the brim. (when they do that, the boys tip the cup to drink from the straw and spill liquid all over themselves. this happens about 85% of the time we go out to eat). okay, so we're settled with drinks and fries and we order. bubba had decided on pizza (even though i really tried to convince him that he wanted grilled chicken with Parmesan noodles), pizza prevailed.
so about 10 mins later, the boys are enjoying their fries and coloring when our food comes out. great timing! but here is my favorite part, and the icing on the cake:
they had already pre-split the pizza into 2 baskets, each pizza was already cut into small pieces AND each had a helping of apple slices. now to those without kids, or whose kids are grown or too young you may be saying ''so what?" but as a parent who NEVER gets to eat their own food while its hot, it was like Christmas morning! the boys food was already slightly cooled and completely ready to eat. (well except pooks', B cut it into smaller bites).
both B and myself got to eat our food while it was hot and yummy! when i took a bite of my A1 Peppercorn burger--the onion strings were still hot! i'm telling you it was amazing! he even remembered extra limes for B (who ordered some mexican themed grilled chicken platter), extra napkins for the kids and refilled our drinks without being asked. he was like a waiter from heaven!
lunch went as smooth as silk! we were in and out in less than an hour (un-heard of at a sit-down place), both boys got balloons and fell asleep on the car ride home. once home, we took a family nap from 1:30-4:00! i felt like a new person.
overall, it was a picture perfect saturday! the only time that i actually took pics however, was at red robin.
enjoy :)
yum!
(more about that in a second.)
we had a very busy day today! the boys slept in til 8:45am, then we were scurrying around to get ready and out the door before 10am. i made waffles for breakfast with our new waffle iron (which mom, I *love* it!), then we headed to old navy. O.N. was having a one-day only sale on denim jeans. all kids jeans were $7 and adults were $12. since my ever growing belly is getting larger by the day and since i've never been this preggo in winter before, i needed jeans. $12 just can't be beat, even if it means getting there right when they open. i managed to snag 2 pairs for me and one for pooks (the limit was 3 per customer). not too shabby.
next we were off to the park for a playdate. i love it when B can go with us, because then we can each watch one kid and pooks eats a lot less sand this way. the boys had a lot of fun, bubba even shared his soccer ball with the other lil' guys! pooks climbed up on the big kids equipment all by himself! once the boys were good and sweaty, we went to the pond to see the ducks. we fed some attack ducks, who apparently were starving. pooks was running up to them trying to catch them and they didn't even care; they were WAY more concerned about getting a piece of bread. at one point a duck was physically 'chewing' on pooks fingers, as in his fingers were in the ducks beak, and neither the duck nor pooks was even phased.
after washing their hands (can we say 'ewww'?) we decided to finish off the morning with lunch at red robin. we've been there twice before and i love how kid-friendly it is; they can be loud and messy and nobody notices! they get balloons and crayons and they are pretty happy campers. while i've always been impressed, today was great!
firstoff, our waiter brought out a basket of fries with our drinks. this is a life saver because naturally the second we sit down in the booth, the kids are ready to eat. they have bottomless fries so he [the waiter] assumed that it would be appreciated and it was!
secondly, the boys usually split a kids meal when we are out. i told the waiter that they would be sharing a kids meal, but could we go ahead and get them each a drink? he said "sure, they're free. what would they like?" AWESOME! so they each got a cup of apple juice and he was smart enough to know NOT to fill the cup to the brim. (when they do that, the boys tip the cup to drink from the straw and spill liquid all over themselves. this happens about 85% of the time we go out to eat). okay, so we're settled with drinks and fries and we order. bubba had decided on pizza (even though i really tried to convince him that he wanted grilled chicken with Parmesan noodles), pizza prevailed.
so about 10 mins later, the boys are enjoying their fries and coloring when our food comes out. great timing! but here is my favorite part, and the icing on the cake:
they had already pre-split the pizza into 2 baskets, each pizza was already cut into small pieces AND each had a helping of apple slices. now to those without kids, or whose kids are grown or too young you may be saying ''so what?" but as a parent who NEVER gets to eat their own food while its hot, it was like Christmas morning! the boys food was already slightly cooled and completely ready to eat. (well except pooks', B cut it into smaller bites).
both B and myself got to eat our food while it was hot and yummy! when i took a bite of my A1 Peppercorn burger--the onion strings were still hot! i'm telling you it was amazing! he even remembered extra limes for B (who ordered some mexican themed grilled chicken platter), extra napkins for the kids and refilled our drinks without being asked. he was like a waiter from heaven!
lunch went as smooth as silk! we were in and out in less than an hour (un-heard of at a sit-down place), both boys got balloons and fell asleep on the car ride home. once home, we took a family nap from 1:30-4:00! i felt like a new person.
overall, it was a picture perfect saturday! the only time that i actually took pics however, was at red robin.
enjoy :)
bubba eating his pizza, which was ''yummmm"
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
what's better than a popsicle??
why two popsicle's of course!
nanaw gave the boys each a popsicle this afternoon, followed by a second popsicle because the first wasn't enough, LOL. she bought this mini-popsicles just for the boys--each popsicle is maybe 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long on a mini popsicle stick.
that sounds ideal but in all reality, its just not enough popsicle for 2 growing boys! pooks inhaled his and then looked at like nanaw like ''hello? do we see my hand is empty?" well once bubba saw that pooks got a 2nd popsicle, he went ahead and inhaled his too.
nanaw gave the boys each a popsicle this afternoon, followed by a second popsicle because the first wasn't enough, LOL. she bought this mini-popsicles just for the boys--each popsicle is maybe 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long on a mini popsicle stick.
that sounds ideal but in all reality, its just not enough popsicle for 2 growing boys! pooks inhaled his and then looked at like nanaw like ''hello? do we see my hand is empty?" well once bubba saw that pooks got a 2nd popsicle, he went ahead and inhaled his too.
Saying "Cheese" while working on his 2nd one
the result was two very happy, but two very sticky toddlers!pooks REALLY liked his popsicles
Monday, August 18, 2008
the cutest thing!
as i was getting the boys to bed tonight, peanut was bouncing off the walls of my uterus. i got pooks settled down in the pack n play; and bubba situated in my bed. i laid down with him and we started watching the olympics. well we had been laying there for a bit when peanut started kicking over and over again in the same spot on my left side. so i took bubba's little hand, placed it on my belly, and told him to listen. (when you tell him to listen he sits freakishly still).
within seconds peanut kicked his hand. bubba's eyes got SO big. he just looked at me. then peanut kicked him again. he grinned and his big brown eyes were just so expressive. he said ''mama...baby?" and pointed to the palm of his hand. i asked him "did the baby kick your hand?" and he just grinned and said ''uh huh!" and placed his little hand right back on my belly. he felt peanut 2 more times before the baby shifted and we could no longer feel him. both times his eyes would get so big and he'd go ''huh?". i wish i could have got a picture of his expression. it was priceless! he was so excited, his little eyes were so expressive and its like he finally ''got it''. he knows there is a baby there, no doubt about it now!
after a few minutes he rolled over and faced the other way. just as i thought he was settling down, he throws his little arm over his side and just his four fingers rested on the edge of my belly. he didn't roll over, he didn't say anything---just his little fingers waiting.
it was adorable. i was seriously tearing up.
the little tiny moments that you can't plan, are truly the best!
within seconds peanut kicked his hand. bubba's eyes got SO big. he just looked at me. then peanut kicked him again. he grinned and his big brown eyes were just so expressive. he said ''mama...baby?" and pointed to the palm of his hand. i asked him "did the baby kick your hand?" and he just grinned and said ''uh huh!" and placed his little hand right back on my belly. he felt peanut 2 more times before the baby shifted and we could no longer feel him. both times his eyes would get so big and he'd go ''huh?". i wish i could have got a picture of his expression. it was priceless! he was so excited, his little eyes were so expressive and its like he finally ''got it''. he knows there is a baby there, no doubt about it now!
after a few minutes he rolled over and faced the other way. just as i thought he was settling down, he throws his little arm over his side and just his four fingers rested on the edge of my belly. he didn't roll over, he didn't say anything---just his little fingers waiting.
it was adorable. i was seriously tearing up.
the little tiny moments that you can't plan, are truly the best!
if i had a daughter...
i think she would look like this:
LOL. earlier i was changing pooks' diaper and he was playing with my headband. well he decided he was going to wear it! he actually got it on his head but the band was in front of his ears. i fixed it and he was more than content to keep it on. nanaw commented that if i had a girl, she would look like him. "with those curls and a cute headband"...so i snapped a few pics before i took it off. he is adorable either way but the man can pull off a headband!
as long as i'm talking about hair, i'll share some bubba pics. he got a haircut today. (at a hair place, not with B's clippers). he did very good overall. he was shy, so he kinda hunched down like he didn't have a neck but he never screamed/cried/tried getting down, etc.
here is a before pic from last thursday. he was coloring with real markers for the first time. but you can see how...big? fluffy? overgrown? his hair was:
and then from today. you will have to ignore the cheesy face and the pizza sauce on his cheek. its not the best picture, but its the only one for now.
we are still at nanaw and papa's house, and the boys are enjoying every minute of it. they act like wild and crazy kids, LOL. pooks keeps throwing thing away in the trash. let me re-word that, he keeps throwing NON-trash items away...like a saucepan lid, binky, shoes, etc. so you have to watch him like a hawk, and double check the trash before you throw anything away.
bubba has nanaw wrapped around his little finger. he started saying ''pepsi'' which is what nanaw is usually drinking, and of course she thinks it is SO cute so she lets him have a drink. he's hopped up on caffenine for sure! between that and cookies, he's on a sugar high.
oh well, it's fun while it lasts!
LOL. earlier i was changing pooks' diaper and he was playing with my headband. well he decided he was going to wear it! he actually got it on his head but the band was in front of his ears. i fixed it and he was more than content to keep it on. nanaw commented that if i had a girl, she would look like him. "with those curls and a cute headband"...so i snapped a few pics before i took it off. he is adorable either way but the man can pull off a headband!
as long as i'm talking about hair, i'll share some bubba pics. he got a haircut today. (at a hair place, not with B's clippers). he did very good overall. he was shy, so he kinda hunched down like he didn't have a neck but he never screamed/cried/tried getting down, etc.
here is a before pic from last thursday. he was coloring with real markers for the first time. but you can see how...big? fluffy? overgrown? his hair was:
and then from today. you will have to ignore the cheesy face and the pizza sauce on his cheek. its not the best picture, but its the only one for now.
we are still at nanaw and papa's house, and the boys are enjoying every minute of it. they act like wild and crazy kids, LOL. pooks keeps throwing thing away in the trash. let me re-word that, he keeps throwing NON-trash items away...like a saucepan lid, binky, shoes, etc. so you have to watch him like a hawk, and double check the trash before you throw anything away.
bubba has nanaw wrapped around his little finger. he started saying ''pepsi'' which is what nanaw is usually drinking, and of course she thinks it is SO cute so she lets him have a drink. he's hopped up on caffenine for sure! between that and cookies, he's on a sugar high.
oh well, it's fun while it lasts!
Friday, August 15, 2008
death warmed over...
it's been a couple days since i last posted and i thought i'd update.
basically, i feel like death. i felt sick to my stomach wednesday and the only thing i ate all day was a piece of cheese pizza. (healthy i know) but it was all i could keep down.
thursday i woke up and felt fine. i made waffles for breakfast, ran some errands with a boys and went to lunch with B. we came home and the boys and i took a long nap. when i woke up from our nap---it was not good. even though it had been 5 hours since lunch, i apparently hadn't begun digesting it yet because it all came back up. from then on, i was sick all evening. i couldn't keep sips of water down, it was horrible. luckily B was home, so he fed and bathed the kids while i worshiped the porcelain God. i was like a pale sweaty zombie on the couch. i am not even exaggerating when i say that EVERY time i got up, i was sick. this lasted until almost 2am when i crawled (literally) into bed. i didn't move, i didn't even try to get comfy. i just laid down on my side facing a trashcan.
i slept straight until 8am when bubba woke me up. this morning, i have yet to try to eat anything solid. although, i didn't throw up stomach bile, so we're up one from last night! i did have (and so far, i have kept down) 1/2 of a graham cracker and a few sips of sprite. mostly i feel like an elephant sat on my chest. just really sore and it feels like bad heartburn/indigestion. as soon as pooks wakes up, i'm going to run to the store and get some soup. i'm hoping i can at least keep that down.
it must be a stomach virus...at first i thought food poisioning, but i've eaten the exact same thing as the kiddos and neither of them have been sick at all. i don't know how i was the lucky one, but at least it seems to be getting better.
tonight we are headed to nanaw and papa's house for about 5 days. B has to be out of state for work, so i figure we'll hang out there. the boys will have a ton of fun, nanaw and papa seem to get a kick out of them, and i'll even get a little help watching them! i'll try to take the laptop so i can update adn stuff. hopefully i start feeling better soon because a 2 hour car-ride is NOT sounding appealing right now.
ugh.
basically, i feel like death. i felt sick to my stomach wednesday and the only thing i ate all day was a piece of cheese pizza. (healthy i know) but it was all i could keep down.
thursday i woke up and felt fine. i made waffles for breakfast, ran some errands with a boys and went to lunch with B. we came home and the boys and i took a long nap. when i woke up from our nap---it was not good. even though it had been 5 hours since lunch, i apparently hadn't begun digesting it yet because it all came back up. from then on, i was sick all evening. i couldn't keep sips of water down, it was horrible. luckily B was home, so he fed and bathed the kids while i worshiped the porcelain God. i was like a pale sweaty zombie on the couch. i am not even exaggerating when i say that EVERY time i got up, i was sick. this lasted until almost 2am when i crawled (literally) into bed. i didn't move, i didn't even try to get comfy. i just laid down on my side facing a trashcan.
i slept straight until 8am when bubba woke me up. this morning, i have yet to try to eat anything solid. although, i didn't throw up stomach bile, so we're up one from last night! i did have (and so far, i have kept down) 1/2 of a graham cracker and a few sips of sprite. mostly i feel like an elephant sat on my chest. just really sore and it feels like bad heartburn/indigestion. as soon as pooks wakes up, i'm going to run to the store and get some soup. i'm hoping i can at least keep that down.
it must be a stomach virus...at first i thought food poisioning, but i've eaten the exact same thing as the kiddos and neither of them have been sick at all. i don't know how i was the lucky one, but at least it seems to be getting better.
tonight we are headed to nanaw and papa's house for about 5 days. B has to be out of state for work, so i figure we'll hang out there. the boys will have a ton of fun, nanaw and papa seem to get a kick out of them, and i'll even get a little help watching them! i'll try to take the laptop so i can update adn stuff. hopefully i start feeling better soon because a 2 hour car-ride is NOT sounding appealing right now.
ugh.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
what do you get when you cross a brown chicken with a brown cow?
Brown-chicka-brown-cow!
(if you totally don't get it- say the answer out loud.)
LOL. i love that joke! i know, that was random but so is this post. i have a bunch of pictures to upload from the last couple days but they are pretty random. the only thing they have in common is that they are of the boys ;)
first of all they have some flaws. the way they are shaped, the kids kept trying to color with the bottom part while the marker tip just colored their palms. of which (naturally) bubba didn't like because he doesn't like to be messy. i corrected him a couple times and he finally seemed to relax but he never really got into it. pooks was just making a mess and throwing his paper, lol.
the next pic is meant as a joke! while i think everyone knows that, i thought i would clarify. we did the same thing to bubba when he was like 7mos old(?) but hadn't done it (yet!) to pooks.
(if you totally don't get it- say the answer out loud.)
LOL. i love that joke! i know, that was random but so is this post. i have a bunch of pictures to upload from the last couple days but they are pretty random. the only thing they have in common is that they are of the boys ;)
first off, the baby doll. i'd say that overall it went well. they loved on her and kissed her and bubba even put her down for a nap! (in his cars bed) pooks would put her in the shopping cart and push her around. total they probably played with her for maybe 30mins combined out of the whole day but they did seem to enjoy it!
on another note, for his birthday pooks got this crayola ''tadoodles'' markers. they are designed for toddlers hands and to be ''low'' mess. yeah--not so sure about that but i know it could have been worse!the baby (which B says is ''freaky'' and creeps him out)
first of all they have some flaws. the way they are shaped, the kids kept trying to color with the bottom part while the marker tip just colored their palms. of which (naturally) bubba didn't like because he doesn't like to be messy. i corrected him a couple times and he finally seemed to relax but he never really got into it. pooks was just making a mess and throwing his paper, lol.
the next pic is meant as a joke! while i think everyone knows that, i thought i would clarify. we did the same thing to bubba when he was like 7mos old(?) but hadn't done it (yet!) to pooks.
typical guy, drinks too much and passes out watching tv!
just being silly. he'll get a kick out of it when he's older. (btw its a bottle of Malibu Rum)Monday, August 11, 2008
so i bought the boys...
a baby doll. boys can have dolls right?
the last few playdates we've had, pooks has a habit of playing with the baby dolls. he like giving them kisses. he loses intrest after a couple minutes but i figure with a new baby on the way, maybe a doll will be good. we can lay it down for naps, hold it nicely, be gentle, etc.
of course, this is pooks and this may blow up in my face but i can hope right? besides i didn't get him like a $20 doll with accessories; its a little $5 baby with a beanie like body and plastic face. i even made sure not to get the one with a hat or eyelashes, because i see these gets pulled off and lost.
i told B to get over it. its just an at home toy--i'm not going to let him take it to the store or anything. but we have a shopping cart that the boys can push it in and i think they'll like it. while the purchase was made for pooks, i'm sure bubba will love on it just as much. we shall see. if they play with it tomorrow, i'll get pics.
and honestly, i don't a(nd probably won't) have any girls, so is one doll really that bad in a sea of thomas the tank engine, tonka, diego, cars, legos and trucks?
the last few playdates we've had, pooks has a habit of playing with the baby dolls. he like giving them kisses. he loses intrest after a couple minutes but i figure with a new baby on the way, maybe a doll will be good. we can lay it down for naps, hold it nicely, be gentle, etc.
of course, this is pooks and this may blow up in my face but i can hope right? besides i didn't get him like a $20 doll with accessories; its a little $5 baby with a beanie like body and plastic face. i even made sure not to get the one with a hat or eyelashes, because i see these gets pulled off and lost.
i told B to get over it. its just an at home toy--i'm not going to let him take it to the store or anything. but we have a shopping cart that the boys can push it in and i think they'll like it. while the purchase was made for pooks, i'm sure bubba will love on it just as much. we shall see. if they play with it tomorrow, i'll get pics.
and honestly, i don't a(nd probably won't) have any girls, so is one doll really that bad in a sea of thomas the tank engine, tonka, diego, cars, legos and trucks?
Saturday, August 9, 2008
boys and their toys
today bubba and i went out looking for deals. for the first time in my 'adult' life, i went out specifically to look at garage sales! i have occasionally stopped when driving by, when something looked interesting; today however it was our mission. with (soon to be) 3 boys, i wanted to find some outdoor toys without spending a bunch. obviously they are just going to get beat up, fought over, left out in the rain, etc. i also wanted to try to find a toddler bed for bubba to use once the baby gets here. (i would buy a new mattress-duh!) anyways, the first place we stopped bubba scored a toy lawn mower for 75 cents! we kept going, hit a couple duds then found one with a really nice wooden toddler bed. we got out only to find out it was already sold. i decided we were done. it was noon and we had gotten too late of a start. we came home and he showed off his mower.
well smart cookie that i am, i thought i'd check out craigslist. it rained today, so i assumed that maybe some people had to cancel their garage sales and were listing things online. bingo! found a lady selling a TON of little tikes toys. the 'cozy coupe' however caught my eye. they sell for $50 brand new and her's looked brand new--for $20! the only 'downside' was it doesn't have decals. they never put them on, then lost them.
like bubba knows that? i think not. so i went and picked it up and viola, instant new toy. (okay, not really instant. i washed it off with Dawn out in the driveway, dried it off and then let him have it. the chick had cats and i'm allergic so i had to clean that thing ASAP before putting it in the house.) bubba was EXSTATIC. you would have thought it was Christmas. he played on it all day. B was convinced that he was going to sleep in the thing.
the only problem is poor lil pooks. he's really too little to make it go, but he want to play with it. bubba is more than happy to let pooks ride in it WITH him, but he doesn't want pooks in it alone. pooks however wants in it alone and if you put him in it WITH bubba he has a meltdown.
anyone know where i can get a 2nd cozy coupe for cheap?
lol. it did get better as the night went on and the newness wore off. heck 5 hours after he got it, bubba let pooks sit in it all by himself ;) yes it was right before bedtime and only for about 7 minutes but pooks was happy, bubba was happy so mommy was happy.
oh, and a small update on my belly. it is doing better! i just have 2 burn marks/blisters. one about the size of a quarter and one the size of a dime. they did blister up but never popped or anything. B is convinced that i will scar, and i probably will. kinda sucks since my belly is stretching while it's healing. that will be a great stetched out ramen noodle scar. LOL. oh well, baby is safe, i'm safe and pooks was safe, so its okay in the long run. here is my 22 week belly pic.
well smart cookie that i am, i thought i'd check out craigslist. it rained today, so i assumed that maybe some people had to cancel their garage sales and were listing things online. bingo! found a lady selling a TON of little tikes toys. the 'cozy coupe' however caught my eye. they sell for $50 brand new and her's looked brand new--for $20! the only 'downside' was it doesn't have decals. they never put them on, then lost them.
like bubba knows that? i think not. so i went and picked it up and viola, instant new toy. (okay, not really instant. i washed it off with Dawn out in the driveway, dried it off and then let him have it. the chick had cats and i'm allergic so i had to clean that thing ASAP before putting it in the house.) bubba was EXSTATIC. you would have thought it was Christmas. he played on it all day. B was convinced that he was going to sleep in the thing.
the only problem is poor lil pooks. he's really too little to make it go, but he want to play with it. bubba is more than happy to let pooks ride in it WITH him, but he doesn't want pooks in it alone. pooks however wants in it alone and if you put him in it WITH bubba he has a meltdown.
anyone know where i can get a 2nd cozy coupe for cheap?
lol. it did get better as the night went on and the newness wore off. heck 5 hours after he got it, bubba let pooks sit in it all by himself ;) yes it was right before bedtime and only for about 7 minutes but pooks was happy, bubba was happy so mommy was happy.
oh, and a small update on my belly. it is doing better! i just have 2 burn marks/blisters. one about the size of a quarter and one the size of a dime. they did blister up but never popped or anything. B is convinced that i will scar, and i probably will. kinda sucks since my belly is stretching while it's healing. that will be a great stetched out ramen noodle scar. LOL. oh well, baby is safe, i'm safe and pooks was safe, so its okay in the long run. here is my 22 week belly pic.