New Years Resolutions.. did they fall to the wasteside?

This was the first year that I made New Years resolutions and actually kept them in mind throughout the year. I wrote them on my white board in the kitchen and they stayed there!

How did I do?
Well, I had 6, 3 of which were not measurable... so with them, it is a matter of opinion if I finished them.

Here were mine:
1) More coupon shopping - I did do better this year
2) Prepare and take the PE in April 2009 or October 2009 - I suck
3) Do more for March of Dimes - We are doing away with out team, so this one doesn't count
4) Keep scrapbooks up to date - I suck more
5) Get more organized - I did good on this one.. label anyone?
6) 120 lbs and stay there. - I am a big fat sucker

Time snuck up on me on the PE, I didn't really 'try' on the weight thing and I just feel very overwelmed by the scrapbooks... but I did something? right? Bueller?


New Ones!!!

1) Prepare to take PE in April 2010 or October 2010 (very last chance I could do it)
2) Get down to 120 or lower and stay there
3) Get scrapbooks up to date

That is all I am going to put because we have a hectic first of the year for ourselves.. We have to spend most of our time getting the house prepared to sell, planning 2 birthday parties (did you know they don't sell The Jungle Book theme party supplies.. anywhere... like not even overseas), putting the house on the market, storing stuff, selling stuff, packing stuff...
I am tired already.

I hope everyone has a terrific New Years... be safe tonight, there are crazies out.. and don't be one of them.

Lots of Things

First off, I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We did. Santa was wonderful to us all this year!
Oh, you want an update on how G reacted when he saw the train table Santa brought him??
He walked into the living room, opened his arms up as wide as can be and yelled out with a gasp "TRAIN!"

We won't go into how much that deceptiveness scares to bajeebees out of me.

Christmas was great and it was fun seeing the boys react to Santa's presents.





G has figured out clothes boxes already and tends to toss them with a 'clothes' sigh.
We will have to work on that.
But they had a great Christmas and was spoiled as usual.
So were J and I.


Also, my only baby girl in this house, had a birthday yesterday. Sasha was the first of her litter born Dec. 29th 6 years ago. 8 weeks later, she was J's Valentine's present for our first Valentines as a married couple. I hate to think that she is over middle aged for her breed, eventhough she still acts like a pup. I love her very much and can't wait to spend another 6 years with her.


We went and watched Marley and Me on Christmas Day.
I bawled like a big fat baby, and came home and hugged my pups... then cried some more.
Then I thanked God for giving us these pups to help teach the boys things a good dog can. Responsibility, empathy, gentleness, playfulness, boundaries... and so much more.
I recommend seeing it... I still liked the book better, but the movie was wonderful.

Post #2 today..

But this was too good NOT to share.

We got the boys a train table for Christmas
We put it together and it has been upstairs behind a closed door, lights off, baby gate, and somewhere the boys are not allowed...
I went upstairs to get it ready for inlaws...
Something was amiss.
toys I had put away were kinda scattered, but it just seemed weird, nothing more than usual
Kinda brushed it off but was still curious...
Closer inspection of the train table
I found a half eaten sucker stuck to the table.
We wondered why all of a sudden he had started wondering the house at night again.
He hasn't mentioned a train, but we know he loves these tables.
If he acts surprise on Christmas morning... we are putting him to work

Christmas Card Awards

Most people know that I LOVE Christmas cards... that is one of the many thrills of Christmas for me is recieving Christmas cards. As of today, we have recieved exactly 40 cards. I usually get more up until a few days after Christmas, but today is a start of something new... every Christmas Eve I will award titles to some of my favs. If some come in later that are better than the ones I list here, fine, I will make note...

Without further ado:

THE MOST ADORABLE
Seriously, look at that face in the middle. Little Miss Presley Aaron, you are adorable. Congrats to Christy and Jason Aaron


THE MOST CLEVER OF THEM ALL
Incorporating a Save the Date in with a Christmas card... kudos and congrats to Clara Linz and Geoffrey Goodin.



THE FLAWLESS AWARD
Seriously, could you look anymore like models? Congrats to Ben and Monica Thompson.


THE FUNNIEST OF THE YEAR
I think this card is hilarious, congrats Stefanie McGee... I can always count on you for a good laugh.


THE BEST NEWCOMER
First year I recieved your card and you did good! Congrats Shelley and Jamie Wood.


PHEONIX AND SASHA OVERALL FAV


G OVERALL FAV


D OVERALL FAV

*and yes, they picked out their own

CROOK AND POWDER OVERALL FAV


J OVERALL FAV


MY OVERALL FAV
Shutterfly | Photo Cards

I wish everyone and their family a very Merry Christmas!

I can't sleep

Because I can't seem to get rid of the nightmares. Yes, I am well, very well into my 20's and I have nightmares... like every night. Well, the nights I take 2 Tylenol PM's or the nights I take 4 regular Tylenol, I don't have nightmares, but I don't wake up for my kids in the monitor either.

I am not talking.. "oh, not a good dream, it is over, lets go back to sleep" type of nightmare...

I am talking... "HOLY HELL I don't think I will every sleep again" and "the person I dream about I have to call NOW eventhough it is 2am to make sure they are ok" types of dreams.

They are full of murder, world ending natural disasters... CRAZY.

Its got to stop.

I need an Ambien.

Been a couple of days

Crazy days.

Monday I had dinner with some girls I use to play softball with in HS. We had a blast. We always do. We need to do it more than once a year though.

Tuesday was just spent watch G be sick. He was so pewny. Early in the morning, like 2-3am, he woke and came to our bed and I felt him as I was putting him back in his bed and he was on fire. Ear thermometer came back 103.8. I stripped him, put a washrag on his forehead and gave him some Tylenol. Thankfully, it hasn't gotten that high again.

Wednesday, we went to MLGW to visit some old co-workers, then met dad for lunch, then went straight to the doctor... Infection, z-pac for G, and he has gained weight!!! Yea... finally up to 29 lbs at almost 33 months old! Pewny in more ways than one!
Then I had to go to driving school when J got home from work at 6 ... until 9. Oh, he let us go early, it was suppose to last until 10.
Also, last night, J said that G put himself to bed at 6:30. Must have been knocked out by the medicine.

Today we meet with another Early Intervention associate to assess G again.
9 months of dealing with them and they have yet to work with G at all. Got to love state funded associations.

What a weekend

We left out Thursday for Nashvegas.. it was cold her in Memphis, but nothing too extreme.. we started getting calls from parents warning us about the weather we were about to drive into. We were never too worried... Me and J always have the mindset "if it gets too hard to drive due to weather, tiredness.. whatever, we will just get a hotel and continue our trip in the morning".

We didn't hit anything until we got around the airport in Nashville... and it gradually got worse as we hit our destination. Nothing was too bad at all. Interstate was clear completely and it wasn't until we got off that we ran into any 'slick' streets.

The next morning, it was beautiful.

and as we headed to Cookeville in the morning, it wasn't bad but it was gorgeous.

Especially on the family farm.
Enjoy.. I did.

Growin' up is hard to do.

But right now it is just hard on me.

We looked at G this morning in awe of what a big boy he is becoming in his little man personality. I think back of him when he was just brand spankin' new... which, it is harder and harder to remember the details, because it seems like forever ago... then again, just yesterday.

Then I think of D, and he is right behind G and in just a few short months, we will be saying the same thing about him. I just know that within the year, I will have two little boys completely out of diapers. I almost see this as being the last "baby" in them.

How can something so wonderful be so depressing all at the same time?

F

Joye gave me an F. Dangerous letter to give me right now.
She did this fun meme on 10 favorite things but the twist was that they all had start with a specific letter. She herself had an N.
Here are mine.

1) Floors - as in the new ones I have now. We haven't 100% finished the toe molding as you can see from the pics, but I love them. Excuse the toys.



2) Finger foods - I am a big finger food eater... like sausage balls and stuff... if I can graze on them, I like 'em.


3) Friends - my friends.. my closest and my just cordial. I love them.


4) Family - all of them, well, I could take or leave some extended family... kidding, I kid.


5) Funny faces - some of my favorite pics of my boys are funny faces that are made by them and that are caught... of course, the funny faces of the adults in those pics are good too.


6) Feliz Navidad - Like how I got past that?? No one said we could not use Spanish translations. But Christmas is my favorite holiday.


7) Fruit leather - this is my favorite snack of all time.. I love it.


8) Four - this is my favorite number. I was #4 in soccer and softball, I have delivered 4 beautiful babies, and I have 4 furbabies in this house.


9) Factory Outlet Malls - I love them. 3 I go to often are right down the street from me, Lebanon, and Tunica. Yes, I love to go sit at a Caribbean stud table just as much as possible, but actually coming from Tunica with something for my money makes me feel all fuzzy.


10) Fridays - my favorite day... I use it as me and the boys "lazy day" where we just watch movies, hang out and wait for daddy to come home from work.
Can't wait until Friday comes.

Oh my knees

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving long weekend.

We spent it putting in about 270 sq.ft. of ceramic tile and 520 sq.ft. of hardwood flooring. Jealous? Don't be. So while J and I pulled up linoleum, scraped adhesive, tiled, grouted, pulled up old hardwood and carpet, scraped more adhesive, popped carpet crap off the floor, laid the hardwood, cut, cut, and more cuts, and then put down new toe-molding, Nana and granddaddy helped out by keeping the boys and Ka-ka and Pops called continuously on stand-by offering to help... all of which was greatly appreciated.

We totally underestimated Murphy's Law.
We totally underestimated our trust in MLGW to keep our electricity going. (for some reason, our neighborhood decided to have a couple of outages for hours at a time.
and
We totally underestimated our ages and how they would play out...

I totally underestimated how bad of shape my knees are really in.

Back story:
6th grade - first knee surgery on right knee. Bone spurs and cartilage removal. Up and going in a few months and not may problems from then on.

16th birthday...
I got my license and from the drivers license place, dropped off my dad, picked up my best friend and went straight to our basketball game... got put in, and 8 seconds into my playing time, went for a lay up and SNAP. Left knee. Completely torn ACL, PCL, MCL, and partially torn cartilage. Surgery, missed softball season, finally driving again (I had a 5 speed) after 2 months, and catching in softball again after 5 months of physical therapy.

17 years old - Left knee surgery #2. Softball size piece of scar tissue built up inside knee and rest of cartilage removed. Up and going again within a month. This was caused by one lone softball game... in east Tennessee... my parents basically carried me off the field. I had never been in this much pain.

Since, I have not had many problems. I quit all the ball playing when I was 19 and my activity level has dropped quite a bit since.

Then this weekend came.
And I had to stay on my knees for 4 days basically. 18 hours straight on Saturday actually. (6am to midnight).

Have you ever been in so much pain, that you shiver.. like you are cold, but not cold, just in pain?

yea

We had to sit and talk

G.. you know, when we call you 'skinny minny' we are not trying to be mean, right?


And you are more handsome than anyone in the whole world... you know that right?

And when dad talks about 'bulking' you up, it has nothing to do with how absolutely beautiful you are, right?

Then is it ingrained in boys or something that you felt the need to 'pack your pants'?


Seriously, 5 pairs is just overdoing it baby...

That makes it all so much better

With D and G both going through this "OMGAREYOUKIDDINGMERIGHTNOW, HAVEYOULOSTYOURMIND" stages at the same time...

Things can get somewhat.. frazzled with me.

There are days I know J just dreads to come home.. not knowing what the day has brought me and subsequently brought him at the end of his "JOB" (I so channeled Bill Engvall there... "you know what happened at THIS house today while you were at your so called "JOB")... hehe

But I digress.

I see it in J's face sometimes when things I consider, little, happened and he goes all daddy Kung Fu on whatever it is. Like last night, I know the dogs are hovering around the table during supper.. I mean, they are use to the boys feeding them various things they don't want.
The only thing my picky eater G wanted last night for dinner was his bread... and he insisted on going to the living room with J (since he was done eating) and all he wanted to take was his bread... he got down off the chair, clutching his bread, and wham
there was a dog in his face
bread in dogs face
dog assumed he was being fed bread
dog ate bread
G threw a tantrum
J screamed
"PHOENIX.YOUUUUU.BASTARD! GET OUTSIDE, NOW (whack) NOW! OUTSIDE."
dog went outside yet satisfied with a bite of bread
J continues to mumble
"taking a babies bread.. that is just wrong"

I laughed my butt off.
J didn't appreciate it.

But to me, it was a little thing.

During the day, most of it is revolved around putting kids in the corner, listening to fits, fights, and then NOT sleeping in the monitor. By the end of the day, my nerves are shot, my attitude is not too perky, and just a run to Walgreens is like a dream vacation.

Today started like one in the same.
On one of the many rounds of corner time, I get the boys out of the corner and they have to listen to why they were put there and tell me they won't do it again and give me a hug and a kiss while I tell them how much I love them.

One instance today got me.
I was getting G out of the corner
"Do you know why you got in trouble?"
"YEP!"
"Because you got up on the cabinet, didn't you. That is a nono! If you get on the cabinet again, you will go back to the corner. Do you understand?"
"Stand"
before I get "I love you baby with all my heart" out of my mouth, he starts to hug me and whispers in my ear..
"Loe you mommy"

It has made for the best day.

Calling all Plumbers: The Second Coming

I don't have it dictated in this blog, but earlier this year, we had to have a plumber come out to get our toliet unstopped.
THAT time it turned out that the little pee pee cup that is on the front of a potty chair for little boys, had been removed and flushed. The plumber had to take off the toliet to be able to remove it... not bad, it only cost us $138.00.

Fast forward to yesterday.
G has been pretty adament about not letting ME in the bathroom when he goes. It is not a big deal... he does a good job and very very rarely he forgets to "tuck" and soaks the bathroom. But, he will let D in there. I guess it is because I am girl or something.
Well, after a certain bathroom break, I just knew they were now playing because they had been in there an awful long time. I go in there and G is just flushing flushing away and nothing is going away and he is getting ticked. I see D standing in the corner and just knew in my heart that D had put something in the toliet when G was peeing and now.. it is stuck.
I plunged a few times, nothing
I stuck a wire hanger down there and could not really feel anything.
I feared the worse: A ball, the perfect size, is stuck and they are going to have to sell me new pipes or a new toliet.

I called the plumber. He said coming out to unstick a toy out of a toliet is a pretty common occurance.
"have you tried a toliet lock"
"yep, we had one on the last time we called you.. it obviously didn't help and plus, my oldest needs complete access to the toliet"
"Is he autistic?"
"no, why"
"Parents of autistic children are my biggest customers. The autistic children are bad about wanting to see their toy go round and round. Once they discover it, it is hard to stop them."
"I have a feeling my youngest did it behind my oldest bad... He is just hard headed."

This time they had to take the toliet off again... and found it... the culprit, the object to show fault... when they called me to come see, I grabbed D because I knew it was going to have to be a lesson right then...

We go and see. My reaction:

"GAV.IN.BRAD.LEY!!!"
"GAVIN... GET IN HERE NOW!!!"

Apparently he had flushed his underwear.

100% in front of the plumbers.
"Gavin.. Did you flush your underwear."
"YEP!"
"THAT is a no-no. You know better than that."
"Wet. wearwear wet."
"What do you do with your underwear if you don't want to wear then anymore??"
*He came and grabbed them and put them in the dirty clothes hamper
"Don't you ever flush anything down the potty except for toliet paper!!! Do you understand me."
"stand"
"Look what you have made these men do by flushing your underwear. We don't want to ever do that again.. right?"
"yea ma'am"

He was 100% embrassed and humiliated and I hope it does the job.
Another $138.00



I went and gave D some big and loving hugs and kisses because he was secretly the one being blamed... apparently just an innocent bystander.
I do feel bad for that.

HEEE-larious!!

So I don't blog about a recent pedi appointment, because I don't want to get started...

you get some randoms things that are being said... *I see you roll your eyes* and no, not more cuss words.

While watching The Jungle Book the other day, I got this commentary:

G:"MOWWWGI, WHERES YOU? BALOO NO FIND YOU."
*Dear Mowgli, Baloo can't find you and would like to know where you are*

G:"OH NO!!! OH NO!!! NO KA NO KA!!"
D:"OHNO!OHNO!"
*Oh Kaa, please don't hurt poor Mowgli*

G and D:"hooohooohooohooo"
*I like to make monkey sounds and dance when the monkeys dance*

G and D:"MARSH MARSH 2 4"
*How fun to watch the elephants march. I would like to march with them*

G:"OH NO!!! MOWGI SAD!!"
D:"OHNO!OHNO!!"
*In a sad turn of events, it looks as if Mowgli has lost his best friend Baloo*

G and D:"YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEA!!! BLUE!!!YYYYYYYYYEA!"
*Alas, Baloo was just injuried and now Baloo and Mowgli are happy*

At this point they lose interest and my world become somewhat quiet again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

G: MAAAAAMA, D poop
Me: Oh really, is that what he is holding?
G: NO D, NO!! *as D is chasing him around the house with said poop in hand
D: ooy, ooy. Poop. stinks
G: OOOOOY
Me: I am changing it fellas.

D: Mommy snack
Me: No D, you just had (insert any meal here)
D: MOOOOOOMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE, snack peas
Me: D, it is not time, you have 1 hour til snack time.
D: WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
D: Mommy, Baaba?
Me: lets find it.. it's right here.
D: NO BAA.BA
Me: What?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

G: Dada wook?
D: Dada wook!
Me: yep
G: yep
Me: IT IS YES, NOT YEP!! yes ma'am
G: *looking very puzzled

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
G: My go Pops hows
Me: Uh, no baby, that is too far to drive today, that is Nashville.
G: My go
Me: D can't go
G: NO, D go Ka-Ka hows
Me: Pops and Ka-Ka houses are the same thing
G: My go
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me: Are your friends coming over tonight?
G: YEA!!!
D: fends
Me: yea, what are your friends names? Jackson? Julie?
G: ju-ee
D: YEA!!
Me: And Jackson?
G: Ju-ee
D: YEA!!

Guest Bloggers... Please Welcome Sasha and Phoenix

Sasha:


Please explain something to me.
I protect my brothers and I have from the minute they came home, and love my brothers... but why O why do they hit me with the broom, throw their sippy cups and other toys at me, and chase me until I have to hide underneath the desk, kitchen table, or in the other room?
I have no one except my momma... we are the only two girls in the house. The cats won't even come out anymore to let me chase them.... my 1 thrill in life is gone because the boys have scared them to the safety of the upstairs.
I still show them how much I love them. I give them kisses, but they turn around and pull on my jaws. I lay with them, but then they jump on me like I am a horse.

This is my plea... HELP.

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

Phoenix:

These boys need to understand... could you please recite this for them...
don't get near my food, don't hit and slap on me, and don't crawl under my legs... you hit my dingy everytime, which, by the way, is not an utter... please quit trying to treat it like one.
I haven't bit you yet, and eventhough I am not real affectionate, I let you hug and kiss on me... even with a mouth covered in yogurt.
And so you know, that growling thing, that is followed by showing of teeth when you don't stop with the growling,.. it is a warning fellas. Heed that warning. Mom get mad at me when I get to this point, so please don't get me in trouble anymore. I don't bother you and if you be nice, I will be more affectionate. I promise.
If you two want to play.. throw a ball FOR me.. not at me... this will make you my best friends ever.

I am the squasher of all things good

One of the best things here lately has been morning cuddles.
No, this is not an X-rated post
and I am not talking about J and I

When G gets up for good in the morning and is ready to wake us up, he comes in, climbs in our bed and lays underneath the covers and watches some cartoons while he gently wakes mommy and daddy with big morning hugs and kisses.
It is the closest thing to heaven. Especially since G, one of the loves of my life, 90% of the time chooses daddy adamently over me. But one of J's favorite things in life is cuddle time. Believe me ladies.. you can get too much. But back to G.

These mornings he has....
Not yet has he bit his brother
not yet has he sat on his brother
not yet has he scared the poop out of the dogs
not yet has he refused to wear the same underwear for more than 5 minutes
not yet has he pushed me to the verge of literally blowing my top

I look forward to it every morning.
On Monday, around 6:30 am he waltzes in there after sleeping through the night accident free and is very rested and ready to cuddle with Dada AND ME!

Tuesday, around 6:00 am he leisurely strolls in there and cuddles with Dada. I hear, "Mama.. moosh (move in G talk)"

Wednesday, 5:30 am is getting early, but I will take it... after cuddling with Dada so much that he can't get that other hour he needs for the rest of the day, I am up and taking G kicking and screaming into the living room... He truly is tired of my face at this point. This is where he subsequently wakes D up... and D is a bear when he is woke.

Thursday, 5:00 am and we debate fighting him for other 1hour to turn around and let him up at 6:30 am. I am up again, because that is too early for Dada... at least G is getting better today... not waking D until 6:00 am. Still hates me.

Friday, up at 3:30 am.. ready to cuddle.. back to bed... screams and cries and runs out of his room until 4:45 am. Then he thankfully sleeps until 6:30 am... he is all smiles...
I.am.not!

This routine has been going on for weeks... we have to throw in the occasional (like 2 times a week) getting him back in bed after an 1am potty break...
It has got to stop.

I broke the news to J this morning.
No more cuddling in bed in the morning. At least until G can get the idea of sleeping until morning and going back to sleep after potty breaks. I hate this because I at least got one morning out of 7 that he loved me.. hugged me and wanted me around. But, what is best for G is what is best.
When G is up... one of us is up and he gets no cuddle time IN THE BED.
Period.
Cycle has to stop.

*sniff*