Day 31: One month complete!

I can't believe I have made it one month of blogging daily! Confession: I may write a lot of my posts the next day and set the time back to appear that it was blogged at the proper time. But I'm doing it at least, right?! These are one of those posts...ha.

So today (yesterday), we started our day at "restore the core" and my core does NOT feel restored. No, it feels like someone has used my core as a punching bag but I guess that's kind of the point. The kids went to the nursery and they seemed to really like it. Skylar's age group got to go to Safari Stop which as a huge indoor playground so she has asked that we go back "lotsa times!" After we "restored our core" some of the girls and I decided on lunch but not before snapping a quick pic of our herd.

After we were able to corral them to our cars, we went to go grab a bite and what an adventure that was. Our first stop was at a new-ish restaurant that originally opened under the premise "eat while kids play." They had an indoor playground that you paid $5 and your kids could play while you eat. They changed their policy because of lack of business to no fee for the playground and naturally, people began abusing the system. When we arrived we were told that the playground is now available after 4:00pm only because mom's were bringing in their own food and allowing their kids to play for hours on end. We were less then pleased since it takes a small army to get these kids to do anything. After several minutes of trying decide where to go, a few walks around the parking lot, one stop and The Egg and I, we finally made it to Lenny's and lunch was served. I'm so happy I have such wonderful friends to help in herding my crew around since I was carrying "deep dish" IN her carseat. No easy task let me tell ya.

After the lunch fiasco was over, we headed home for some much needed naps - mama included. It's been a fun week so far but THIS mama is tired and looking forward to the weekend!

Day 30: Playing Hookie

So Skylar woke up this morning looking miserable and complaining that her throat hurt. I felt her forehead which did feel a bit warm and told her I'd get her some medicine. She went and laid down on our sofa with about 4 blankets on top of her and I thought - great, she's sick. As I was giving her her medicine I told her that we not be going to school today and she just nodded and laid back down. Then Bryce woke up and it was a different story. They were chasing each other all over the house and climbing on everything! You know, a normal day. So I asked her "Skylar, I thought you were sick?" And she stopped for a minute, looked at me with a little grin and said "well, my throat DOES feel scratchy!" Out-smarted by a 4 year old! I continued to watch her just to see if she'd crash again but nope, she was perfectly fine. Little stinker.

Since she was clearly not sick and they were clearly determined to burn off energy by destroying my house, we headed to bootcamp. It was an adventure. This was my first time at bootcamp with all 3 kids at the park location. Bryce again does not understand why Skylar gets to be out and he's stuck in the stroller with Eva. So most of my battle was fighting with him to be patient, here - have another snack, play with mama's phone, etc. Finally I had enough and figured I'd test the waters a bit and let him out. I told him to stay right by sissy to which he replied "okay mama." Two minutes later I hear someone say - uh, is that someones son? And there he was all the way over by the swing sets which from where we were was quite a trek. Sigh. Back in the stroller we went, kicking and screaming. I did still get a little bit of a workout but this is becoming harder and harder. I spend more time chasing my kids down or trying hard to pacify them with snacks and toys the entire time, that I hardly get a workout. Anyway, after bbc - we normally play at the park but with the wind and cold, it was just not a good day for it. So instead we took the kids to wonderwild and played for almost 4 hours!!!! My kids had a blast and it was so good to see them burning off energy. Brycie even went potty in the public restroom! That was first! Eva spent most of her time snoozing or being held by one of her Aunties. Spoiled little thing.

We finally got home and the kiddos past out. I had to straighten up a bit because Nana was coming over to babysit while daddy and I went on a date. The kids were so excited to see Nana and barely waved goodbye as we headed out the door. The original plan was to go shoot our guns but daddy changed his mind and we went and had sushi instead. I love being able to spend one-on-one time with my man! Another good day...

Day 29: back to it...

After weeks of dealing with colds and other mysterious little bugs - I finally made it back to bootcamp. I'd be incredibly proud of myself but Miss Eva was not having it. She was determined that she be my workout rather then any stinky bicep curl. I still had fun catching up with all of the old gang and I did manage a little exercise so it wasn't for not.

Since Brycie appeared to be feeling better, he also went back to school and barged in like he owned the place. I remember those first couple of weeks where he would fight to go into his classroom and I'd walk away with tears in my eyes hearing his cries all the way down the hall. But now? He goes right in and doesn't even say bye. I'm so happy that he loves school as much as he does and love each week that he learns a new part to his memory verses. Right now he's at "The fruit of the spirit is love (gives himself a hug), joy (puts his fingers to his cheeks while smiling), peace (folds his hands into prayer position), patience (throws his hands behind his back like he's waiting), and kindness (puts his arms to his chest like he's cradling something). It warms my heart each time he does it and I'm so impressed at how much they can get them to remember at such a young age. Love him.

After school, I decided to take Bryce to the park while we waited for Skylar to get out. This was something we used to do all of the time but with a new baby and the weather changing all of the time, it's been a while. He was so excited when we pulled in the parking lot that he couldn't get out of his seat fast enough. As usual, he went straight for his favorite swing. I don't blame him for liking it so much since it's more of a lounger then a swing. If I could crawl in it, I would..

He loves for me to sing twinkle, twinkle as he's swinging. Sometimes I get the most interesting looks but I care not. After our swing-swingin, it was off to explore. He always starts with the small playground first before going for the big kahuna. So he darted over and wanted to show me how he can climb up the ladder all by himself. "mama! watch! I do it!" And he climbed right up to the platform, little monkey. I noticed this little red headed boy that tried to run and Bryce when he was climbing but his mom and grandmother stopped him. I just assumed that they didn't want him accidentally throwing Brycen's balance off so I thought nothing of it. But then, as Bryce was playing with one of the puzzles, the little boy (same age as Bryce) runs at him, grabs him from behind like he's bear-hugging him. The mom looks like she's joining in on the hug and finally the little boy lets go. Bryce is looking at me so strangely and I can't figure out whats wrong. The grandmother says to me "oh, sorry -he's a hugger." So I smile and say - "that's okay. I think it just surprised him." Bryce looks at me and says "ouch mama" as he's reaching for his back and again his face looks so sad. He wasn't crying, just looking at me kind of confused-like. I turned him around and saw that his shirt was wet which was odd. I lifted up his shirt and what's this?!! TEETH MARKS! Deep teeth marks! I quickly glance over at the Grandmother who was looking my way and exclaimed "he was NOT hugging him. He BIT my son!" She knew he did because her response was "oh did he? Is he okay? Why is he always biting?" It wasn't until then that they grabbed this little boy off of the playground and told him it was time to go home but not until he was tickled and teased by grandpa. Really? Really?! I  was just so shocked that they didn't even get him to acknowledge what he did. No discipline at all. Nothing. Just..oh, hopefully he grows out of this. Grrrrrr... the evidence.

The first pic was right after it happened and the second pic later that night. Oh it erks me. I told daddy that what hurt the most was his little face. He's so tender-hearted and just couldn't understand why someone would do that. My son is the boy that would run up and bear-hug you or another kid so this was just a mystery to him which I did my best to explain is wrong and that we never bite. He kept repeating what I'd say "not nice", "mean", "no biting"! Although truth be known, I wanted to bite the mom and grandma right back. Not nice mama - I know. ;)

While this whole thing was going down, what was my Eva-cakes doing? Snoozin of course.

 

Oh and protecting Bubba's granola bar as you can see. Ah - the life of a babe! Till next time...

Day 28: Current Events (Guns)

I feel like I should have at least one post that lets my kiddos know what's going on in the world around them as they grow. Disclaimer: I do not keep up with current events very well and have said many of times "if it's not on Nick Jr. or Disney, then I don't know about it." Does that make me uninformed? Ill-prepared? Perhaps. I still hear certain things on the radio or see certain things on Facebook but the really heavy stuff, I let daddy filter through what he thinks I need to know or not. Judge if you like but I am one of those people very easily affected by the world around me. I get very caught up in the tragedy of others that it begins to take it's toll on me emotionally and I can't do that, not with 3 kids. I definitely still pray for peace and comfort for this fallen world but only God knows what tomorrow brings and I just have to trust His judgement.

So here's what little I know on the gun topic... ;)
First of all, currently you can gain any kind of information from the social media network called Facebook. Weather, news, sports - some one is getting divorced or found a new man, Facebook. If you're looking to shop for anything from baby clothes to books to furniture, Facebook. It is the mainstay for all current events and sometimes it can be a bit much. I love looking/using facebook to keep up with my friends and to post pics of my cute babes BUT there are some that will post the most awkward things. Like daddy said, Facebook allows you to see the person outside of a normal social gathering. To spend each day with them and what they're thinking of which sometimes is a little scary. LOL. However, this is where I get a lot of my information on weather, politics, etc. I'm sure I drive daddy nuts because I'll read something and get so steamed up that he has to listen and then explain what's really going on. Right now, the big debate is the gun law. There have been numerous shootings over the years and now our government wants to tighten down on our right to own a gun. My first reaction to this was one of a concerned mother. I agreed that there is no reason anyone should own an AR-15. Why would you need something that sprays out bullets so quickly if you're not in a war? My opinion did not go over very well on my very conservative husband who explained it to me like this. It is our constitutional right to bear arms and while no one truly needs an AR-15 or any other weapon of that magnitude, if you allow them (government) to take away our rights - where does it stop?! There was great debate a few months back because a few big wigs thought it necessary to control our portions for what we buy in fast food chains. They felt that certain sized beverages should no longer be available and as a consumer your "large" now had to be a smaller size. Again, I saw no problem with this since we are the leading nation in obesity but like stated before, if we continue down this path of letting these know-it-alls make our choices - it will never stop! Our country was founded upon freedom and our own right to choose what we want and how we run our businesses. Back to the guns - another great point made by daddy was, do we REALLY think that tightening down on the gun law is going to stop criminals or psychopaths from owning a gun. NO! What stops them now from breaking the law? If they want a gun, they'll find a gun. What we are going to end up doing is taking guns out of the wrong hands. Out of the hands of law abiding citizens. A friend of mine posted (again Facebook) these two little clips and I found both of them informative...and funny:

The one on the right made me laugh out loud because it is SO true! I mean c'mon..wake up! We need people to stand up for our rights and cry out as a nations that this is not to be tolerated. We have a voice and its our choice. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." That's our RIGHT. Here's another image I found from the great Thomas Jefferson who was one of our founding fathers and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence:

Right now, the percentage of people who do NOT want to see this new law invoked is 60%! That's only 10  percent more then 50/50. My heart aches for the world that my babies are growing up in. A world so corrupt and without the freedoms that were originally given and promised to us. More over, a world so full of sin and separated from God, that it scares me as a mother for what tomorrow holds. Lord, WAKE up our nation and hear our cries. Let my babies be the next generation to rise up and be a voice of truth and to put aside the sins of the wold. Break our hearts for what breaks yours.

Day 27: Lets Get Organized (take 2)

Just a little follow up post on where we stand as far as the de-cluttering and reorganizing goes. Since Brycie still seems to be battling a cold, which now seems to be in his ears (boo!), we stayed home from church today and worked on mama's projects. That's right - I enlisted the help of daddy much to his dismay. Not only did I finish ALL the laundry (world record), but I also finished sorting out Skylar's old clothes, stripped diapers and stuffed them (remember I'm a cloth diaper gal), AND finally got to that very messy pantry. I feel accomplished. I really would NOT have been able to do all of this if it hadn't been for daddy's help though because just the pantry alone was a nightmare.

See?!! It might be hard to tell but there was stuff everywhere. You literally had to unload an entire shelf just to find one thing and then shove it all back in there. This does not do well with my OCD. So tackling this project meant lots of trash bags, unloading of cabinets, and a few choice words from the mister. But we got it done and now this mama can breathe again!

Can you hear the angels singing?! Maybe that's just me but seriously! What an improvement, right?! Now if I can just keep my 4 year old, my 2 year old, and my man-child away from it, it just might last longer then a few days! Maybe.

So outside of the crazy non-ending projects of mine, we had a really fun day. The kids played in the backyard most of the day since the weather was just perfect and lil Eva-cakes spent a good amount of time with us. If she wasn't being held, she was on the bed while I was folding laundry or in her bouncy chair while we organized the pantry. She's becoming so much more alert these days that it's so exciting to see her sweet little personality. We lub her!

Poor Brycie was having an up and down kinda day. He's been battling this nasty cold for a week now but now I'm certain its in his ears so we'll be making a trip to the doctor tomorrow, I'm sure. He was in so much pain though that Matthew and I actually tried a home remedy we found online. You mash up a couple cloves of garlic with a little EVOO, heat it up, and then drop a few drops down in his hear canal. He smelled like an Italian restaurant but it seemed to really take the pain away. After that, I had a sudden craving for pasta! Gross?! Probably. But he smelled delicious...and the garlic was lingering in the house so I couldn't help it. This mama whipped up some pasta and popped open a bottle of wine and dinner was served! ;)

Day 26: Our sweet pup...

Six years ago, when we first bought our house, we moved in with quite a handful. We didn't have any kids  yet but we had 3 very hyper dogs, no sod in the backyard, and white carpets. Well the carpets lasted maybe a month. And Peekah (our white boxer) was only around a short while too. Shelby (our insane border collie) fought with Peekah nonstop. I mean like, go for the kill type of fighting and it became too much to handle. So we kept Roxy (our other boxer) and Shelby..aka - Cujo. Shelby has always been a very mean and aggressive dog and Matthew and I did what we could to put up with her. She bit both of us in the past but we continued to try and train her; certain that one day she'd become a good dog again. Well, I got pregnant with Skylar and Shelby attacked me and that was it - she had to go. Now we only had one - our sweet Roxy who wasn't even supposed to be our dog. We were just dog sitting for some friends of ours and then they fell off the map. Disappeared and never came back to get her. Their loss.

She has always been a very loving and sweet girl. Albeit hyper but so sweet. And with each baby, she really does treat them as her own. Skylar is her favorite and we know it's because Skylar gives her the most attention. They are best buddies. Skylar plays with her all day and then they even share the same bed at night. It's a very sweet relationship they have and Matthew and I fret the day that Roxy is no longer with us. She really has become such a huge part of our little family and we love her very much.

 I look at this pic and my heart hurts. I see how much older she is and I know we only have a few more years, if that. But for now we are enjoying every minute of our sweet Rox!

Day 25: No "sugar-bugs"

It's that time again. Time for the kids scheduled dental cleanings and check-ups. This time around I was very nervous about what type of report we'd get. Prior to lil miss getting here, I was very good at cleaning their teeth. We really did brush after breakfast and dinner and we even used "swass" as Skylar called it. But towards the end of my pregnancy and up till now, this mama was not very good at remembering to do so. They did still brush their teeth at night but after breakfast? That was hit or miss. And forget flossing. For shame. So when I got the reminder call that their appointment was today, panic set in. Let's be honest here, if they have cavities it's not really their fault but mine. It's my responsibility to make sure it gets done and it's not getting done so I was trying to prep myself for judgemental glances or comments. Much to my surprise, they were both perfect! "NO sugar-bugs" said Dr. McCandless. I was overly excited which I'm sure made me look guilty but seriously, I wanted to do cartwheels all the way to the car! We were told that Skylar needs to floss "a bit more" which we have every intention of doing. So proud of my little loves and their somehow squeaky-clean teeth! Even baby sis was proud! ;)

Day 24: School IS fun!

There are days when Skylar will give me such a hard time about going to school that I wonder, how on earth is she going to make it next year when she needs to go for 5 days?! But then there are days like today where its packed full of fun stuff that she will beg to go to school tomorrow! I'm guessing that it has a lot to do with her age so getting her to stay focused when playtime isn't involved can be quite a challenge. Today was a a fun, fun day. First, she's working on the letter "R" so they got to bring something in for show and tell and she chose her beloved Rapunzel doll. She was so excited to be able to take her since most times it's just a small stuffed animal during nap time. Brycie also had a fun day planned because today was the big MDO Pet Parade. They made little floats out of shoe boxes and pulled stuffed animals around the entire campus. I was told that he seemed to have the most fun out of every body. Which sounds JUST like my son. He's my happy lil dude.

He was very proud of his little float. We even had to walk his little koala through the parking lot for a lap before going to the car.

Skylar had her White Flag performance tonight for the school's big "Preview Night." Daddy missed going to the first one so he was very happy that she'd be performing again so he could see it. She did great! We had a couple of wardrobe malfunctions such as when she would bend down to pick either her flag or her cross up, she wasn't very lady-like about it and at the end of the performance she marched around stage with the cross hung on her dress revealing her neon pink panties for everyone to see. Sigh. What can ya do?! I cried the first time I saw her perform to this song and cried again this time. There's just something so sweet about the innocence of a child and their love for God. She LOVES God and not just because she's taught to. If you ever have a chance to talk to Skylar about God, you'll see instantly the love she has for Him and the conviction she feels if she thinks she's "hurt His feelings." The chorus to this song goes...

We raise our white flags

We surrender all to you

All for you.

We raise our white flag

The war is over

Love has come.

 

So as these four year olds are belting out these lyrics, they're waving these white flags around (Skylar's favorite). But then..the part that makes me emotional every time is when the sing...

 

We lift the cross

Lift it high

Lift it high

 

At this point they are very slowly lifting their crosses (that each of them made at home) and singing that part over and over until their crosses are high up in the air for all of us to see. The look on each one of their sweet faces is priceless and even now, I can feel emotions coming out. It was such a sweet  performance and I'm so happy her daddy was there to see. Even if it meant, taming the wild two year old for the 30 minutes prior to the song. Another GREAT family night! 

Day 23: Let's get organized!

Now that little miss is finally here, I have this strong urge to de-clutter and reorganize pretty much everything. I decided to start with baby clothes. Oye. This was perhaps not the best place to start because it is very overwhelming. I'm a bit of a pack rat and everything holds sentimental value so our entire attic is bursting at the seems with a bunch of...well, junk! I do have a ton of cute baby clothes and while I'm not sure if I'm done with having babies, I am 100% sure that I'm done with living in a storage unit. For realz.

So I pulled down some clothes and began sorting out things that I know little miss will wear, things to donate, and things to keep forever and ever. amen. Then it occurred to me that I was wasting my time going through girl clothes because I would just have to go through them again as Eva-cakes grows out of them. So instead, I put everything back into one pile (so much for the pre-sort), and then began working on Brycen's clothes. See the problem? I lose focus and start too many things and then I'm left staring at piles or in this case, writing a post about it. I did manage to get through Brycen's closet and dresser but have yet to pull down the umpteen number of Rubbermaid containers in the attic. I figure I should probably do something with the pile of Skylar/Eva clothes first. Maybe. We'll see. But before that can begin...let's organize the pantry! I have issues. Maybe ADD? Either way, it's a big problem and I'm lucky that my husband just goes along with my insainity.

So let's see...we now have a pile of girl clothes, a container of clothes to sell, and a trash bag of clothes to donate. Now add a very unorganized pantry and ....I quit. I decided to put all of the "projects" down and instead focus on paying bills because OOPS, those are supposed to come first. But since today is Wednesday, that means I have a very hyper two year old in constant need of entertainment. Today the Ipad came to my rescue, for a little while. Here's my work pile and my work assistant..he's pretty cute.

After the Ipad would no longer suffice, I asked what he wanted to do and he quickly yelled "BOOTCAMP!" This was my fault since I mentioned earlier that morning that we would be going but we didn't make it. Why? See above. No problem. We'll just have our own BYBBC. That's "back-yard baby bootcamp" if you're not down with OPP. Nerd alert. ANYYYWAY...so I got a workout list together, some tunes, and we headed in the backyard. It was actually pretty nice and he really did do most of the workout with me. If he wasn't doing his own workout, he was trying to "assist" me with mine such as sitting on my back while I attempted push-ups. Or trying to crawl through my legs while I did squats. Thank God we were in the backyard. Here's our list...

I should add at the very end...PASS OUT!
After that, we both came in sweaty and tired. HE got to take a nap while I cleaned up, made snacks and took a quick shower. We then headed to get our sass-a-frass little girl and came home for some fun play time. They played so well together this evening. I think some days they are BEST friends and today was one of those days.

At bedtime tonight, Skylar started singing Row, Row, Row Your boat. This is new and she must have just learned it because her version goes...

"Row, row, row your boat

Gently down a string.

Mary, mary, mary, mary

Life's a bud of drinks!"

 

I love having kids!! She also has many other Skylar versions to songs that I'll have to make sure and post later. Goodnight moon. 

Day 22: Back to School and Back to the Doc

Tuesday is here which means buh-bye little bugs, have a good day at school!! Now normally today would be a day for mama to go to bootcamp, get caught up on some chores around the house and/or run any errands that need to be made. But as mentioned in an earlier post, Eva-cakes had to go back to the doctor to finally get those stinky vaccines. Too bad for her that they actually had them this time. Crazy thing is, she just went last Thursday and weighed 12lbs 4oz and today weighed in at 12lbs 12oz!!! That's 1/2 a pound in 5 days!! Tubby! I hated having to go because she was so snuggly in her carseat and then when I got her out she was so sweet and playing peek-a-boo with her blanket...mean mama! She didn't handle it well either. With Skylar, she cried for a minute maybe (felt like eternity), with Bryce - he made one little sound and was over it, but with Eva?!! Bring on the water works ...for both of us! She screamed FOREVER...and yes, I cried. I can't handle it...she's definitely a mama's girl. It was heartbreaking. But she got through it and we spent the rest of the day snuggling. I didn't do a single thing today but it matters not...because today she needed me and one day, she won't. Love you my sweet, chubby, Eva-cakes.

Day 21: Monday Madness

For starters - 4 of my 5 family members have colds. Yep - all but Skylar are walking around sneezing, sniffling, coughing - the works. But she's been very gracious to help out with her bubba while mommy tends to herself and the baby. I love that girl! But even little dude tried to "help" out as well by playing with baby sis during her tummy-time. He adores her...

So after daddy left for work, I got started on my normal Monday chores...first up, laundry. When people ask if I've noticed any differences going from a family of four to a family of five, that's the first thing that comes out - LAUNDRY! Sheesh it's a lot. I usually try and do laundry twice a week to avoid huge loads but as you can see from this pic...I missed a day...

annnnnd...this does NOT include baby clothes, baby diapers, sheets and comforters, or their nap sacks which are always sent home to be washed weekly. Sigh. I have now requested for our new home to have a utility room large enough to accommodate TWO washing machines and TWO dryers. Ahhh...wouldn't that be heaven?! Oh by the way - there's no new home in the works "yet" but one day!

After I got most of the laundry done - it was time to go to the grocery store. With 3 kids. And no "huggie-land" (aka - child care). I think I've already posted before how I'll never shop with 3 kids again but alas here we are, out of the essentials and forced to go. Boo. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad. It wasn't a walk in the park either but I had envisioned much worse. In fact, we were in and out of there in an hour which I think is pretty darn good if you ask me. Here's a pic of my little helpers...Bryce drove us, Skylar shopped for us, and Eva??? Well....she snoozed cruised. Love them.

...We had plenty of looks and a lot of "gee, you have your hands full!" What I thought was great was that while the sacker did not ask me if I wanted help to my car...nor did the cashier insist that he help me...A lady drove by and rolled down her window, asking for me to allow her 10 year old son to help. I looked at him and he was ready to jump out and help me with a smile on his face. I thanked them and explained I was okay but we REALLY need more parents like that. Parents that teach their kids respect and how to be helpful. It's refreshing when you see a young kid so eager to help because nowadays, it's impossible to find.

So we finally got home, unloaded groceries while Skylar's little friend Francesca was over. Poor Bryce cant say her name so he insisted on chasing her around calling her "Friend?" "Hey Friend!" They all had fun but then B had to go nap so Skylar went to "Friend's" house and mama started another load of laundry and then got started on dinner. Thankfully it was an easy dinner...chicken spaghetti but I was beginning to run out of energy and it was only 2:00pm!

After dinner was pretty much finished...Brycie woke up so we went and got Skylar and came back home to play a bit before daddy got here. Daddy had promised a BIG surprise and so they anxiously waited by the window, watching for his truck. He got home, handed each of them a recees peanut butter cup and promised that if they ate all of their dinner - he'd show them what was in the big box! I already knew what it was and trust me, wasn't thrilled about it...

Meet "Rosie" daddy's new OFFICE pet...

Thankfully, Rosie is only having one sleepover and then it's off to work she goes. However, I'm pretty sure I'll be sleeping with one eye opened...
The kids loved her and thought she was so cool. At first though, Bryce went tearing off to the other side of the living room when Matthew was getting ready to reveal what was in the box. He kept saying...NO! No daddy. I know that this bothers Matthew because he doesn't want his only son to be afraid of things but once the spider was out...Bryce was all over it, asking to hold it, or pet it. It wasn't until later that I looked at the box Rosie came in and saw pictures of mice and gerbils and other furry friends..So I'm betting that's why he was apprehensive but then again....who on earth is afraid of a mouse over a HUGE spider? Not this girl. Can't wait for tomorrow so Rosie can be out of my house....groooossss!

Day 20: Casino Night and A loooooong Sunday

First let me start by saying that last night was a blast!!! Since daddy and I rarely get a chance out with other couples - this was a treat! I still wasn't feeling 100% but so glad I made it because I really enjoyed my time with daddy! We got all dressed up and snapped a few pics...babes too...

...and we headed out! I forgot to eat as usual so I was pretty grumpy on the way but daddy assured me that there would be plenty of food when we got there. After sitting in traffic and trying to valet, we were finally in and it was so overwhelming the amount of people that were there. I've been to plenty of oilfield functions in the past but it's been a while and this was just crazy! It was packed. We met up with a few coworkers, quickly made our way through the buffet line and had a quick bite and then it was off to the drinks - well, daddy really. We played blackjack and danced and laughed...it was truly a MUCH needed night for the both of us. I even convinced daddy to hop in the photo booth with me for some fun pics...

We got home and headed straight to bed, knowing that today was going to be a tough one. Thank God for Nana though for not only babysitting but also for spending the night and helping out with the kids until lunch time today. She's a Saint! Daddy was not feeling too well and since I didn't get much sleep - we were both dragging. I think we both kept checking the clocks to see if could possibly be any closer to bedtime...I know, parents of the year but wowzers! These kiddos are busy! We did have fun playing with Papa and Nana before they took off and then it was movies and backyard fun for us! It's now getting close to bedtime and I think we ALL are going to bed early....nighty night!

Day 19: Play dates, pedi's and more!

Another busy day in May-town! First we woke up bright and early to get ready for a fun girls only play date at Auntie Susie's house. Skylar was so excited and must have asked 100 times if it was really just her going and not bubba?! She loves having her own time with her friends and family. We all got dressed, picked up Nana and headed over. I don't get much time with my mom so as I was driving, I was just talking and talking and talking some more which left me missing a few turns and taking the scenic route. Oops. We did finally make it though and it was so nice to visit for a quick minute. Auntie had a big day planned for both Skylar and Adley (Skylar's second cousin) so we didn't get to stay long. But Auntie did manage to get in a few Eva snuggles and of course she got pics (because that's what she does). The girls...

Aren't they a bunch of cutie patootie's?!?! They had so much fun playing together and Aunt Susie really went all out. They went to the learning store where they learned about thermometers and the different seasons and they even got to make volcano's! How cool is that?! I remember always thinking that I had the COOLEST aunt ever and this confirms that she hasn't changed. She still loves to be a kid and takes time out to do the cool stuff in life like make volcano's! Some pics of the girls and their awesome day...

While they were having fun learning all kinds of cool stuff, Nana and I went to get pedi's and mani's. Well - I got a pedi and mani while Nana held Eva-cakes! I think she would've sat there all day rocking her had I let her. I was so appreciative to have her with me though considering I rarely have a moment to myself, it was a nice break for sure! After the pampering, I headed to take Nana home and then had to get back to little man who was having his own kind of play date with dad - dudes only. They had lunch, played a bit around the house, and then daddy took him to the park where he had a blast. It was such a fun and long day...and its not over. Nope - now to Casino Night!! Whoot!

Day 18: Pass the kleenex...

It appears that I too have this yucky bug going around. I'm not really stuffy, it's my throat - it feels like I've swallowed razor blades!! Ouch. Friday is probably the worst day it could happen because Skylar and Bryce are both home from school which means I have all 3 kiddos needing my undivided attention. Thankfully, they did a pretty good job entertaining themselves. As long as Skylar gets to play boss and Bryce follows her lead - they're good. Sometimes too good. Rule of thumb - if it's quiet, go running because it's never good! So the quiet times today brought on playing with mama's makeup, jumping on Skylar's bed, jumping OFF of Brycen's bed (he has bunk beds), trying to ride Roxy like a horse...you get the picture. Hellions, I tell ya! So this along with mama feeling yuck made for a very long Friday. Daddy came home early (thank THE LORD) and helped take over taming that crazies. Tomorrow is a big day! It's AADE's annual Casino Night and I'm really hoping I feel better for it because we HAVE to go! Daddy's already rented a suit and I've bought a dress and shoes and I'm positive I've lost the receipt because let's face it, I always do. It really is supposed to be such a fun night so fingers crossed for good health and a great evening! More to come...

Day 17: Eva's 2 month visit

Today was a VERY busy day. Since yesterday's hair visit had me looking orange, we had to go first thing this morning to get it fixed. But that's not all that was on the list...let's see...
-first take the kids to school at 8.
-wait around till 8:15 because the early care for Brycen's class wasn't opened yet
-go to starbucks
-go to hair salon at 8:40 to de-orange
-head to Eva's 2 month visit at 9:45
-go to grocery store
-get home and prepare dinner for friend and for us.
-finish dinner at 1:45 and head out
-drop food off at friends house
-pick Bryce up at 2:30 then wait around to pick Skylar up at 3:15
-head to parents house to get travel swing for tonight's mom's night
-come home
-start a load of laundry
-put dinner back on stove to reheat and finally sit down. and what's this??? Scratchy throat? Body aches? Lovely.

Needless to say we are not going to make it to moms night tonight because I'm feeling like poop. I'm hoping and PRAYING it's just from fatigue and nothing more. Sigh.

On to the good news...Eva's 2 month check up went great. For starters, we didn't have to get shots because they were out of one vaccine so we opted to just do all of them next week. This worked out very well for me considering how yuck I feel now. I don't think I could handle her feeling yuck too. Sooo...she was a bit fussy when we got there. Wouldn't you be if you had to be stuck in a carseat for all of the above?! But we finally got in and stripped her down. First came her length measurements which are 23 1/2" putting her in 90th percentile. Then her weight which actually surprised me because I thought she would weigh more but she's 12lbs 4oz putting her in the 75th percentile. After the weighing, we went back in the room to wait for her doc. She was laying on the table just smiling and cooing so I had to snap a quick pic or 2...

 

 

I love that she loves me! So the doc came in and said she looks great - duh! We talked about how much she's grown and what to expect around 4 months but overall she got the thumbs up for being a beautiful HEALTHY baby girl! We still need to go get those icky shots which I'm not looking forward to.

 





Day 16: Hair Drama

Never ever ever take kids with you to get your hair done. Yikes. I was supposed to go yesterday but with Daddy's flight being cancelled and the cleaning lady coming later then normal, I had to reschedule. In my mind I figured as long as I had snacks and entertainment, Bryce would be fine but I was wrong. He's a a dude alright...no patience whatsoever when it comes to girly things. Skylar was in school but I think she actually would've helped out had she been there but we'll never know because I'm never going to attempt that again. And that's not even the best part...nope. The best part is after all of that drama of a rambunctious toddler and a screaming infant is that I left with orange hair. Or "brassy" as the salon wants to call it. Brassy, orange..I don't care - WRONG! Sigh. So now we have to go back for round 2 tomorrow morning. This time I will only have Eva but poor muffin will be in her stroller again waiting out and then goes to get her first round of shots. My poor poor girl.

I did capture some of the fun moments of trying to entertain the little turkey...

Obviously this was pre-orange reveal so my spirits were still in a good place. Once we got home, with Brycen screaming in the car the ENTIRE ride, I honestly wanted to cry. One because of my hair but mostly because I was just so darn tired. I was able to get Brycie in bed for maybe 20 minutes but in those short 20 minutes, cuddling with my sweet Eva-cakes was so rejuvenating. I told Matthew that I really think there are endorphins being released when a mama smells her newborn baby. She calms me instantly...

Day 15: Just another Tuesday...

I guess it isn't just another Tuesday since today we hit record lows with temps in the low 30s. The last time it was this cold this time of year was back in 1915. Crazy how we can go from 70 degree temps to record breaking lows in a matter of days. That's Texas for ya!

The kids went to school today while mama cleaned and organized. A daily chore in this house. Little Eva has outgrown her NB and 0-3month clothes so mama pulled out all of Skylar's old stuff to be washed. It's funny how one little outfit will bring back a flood of memories. I feel like my time with Skylar really went too fast. She was also such a wonderful baby and so expressive. When we look at old photos of her, we giggle because she has about 10000000 different expressions. Still does. I am encountering a little problem with hand me downs since they were born in different seasons but since Eva seems determined to grow so quickly...I think she'll be making up the 6 month difference between seasons in no time at all.

After I picked the kids up from school, we drove around a bit because Brycie passed out.

If you look closely you'll notice the different array of colors on his face thanks to papa's "prize" of M&M's. Papa is the best! Bryce wolfed down that bag and rather then pouncing off the walls, I look back and find him conked. Sweet boy. So, I knew if I took him straight home he'd wake up very cranky and there would be no getting him back to bed so we drove. And drove. I decided to give daddy a call and ask him if maybe we could meet for an early dinner and because he's such an awesome daddy - he said yes. I think though after the experience of two cranky kids and a crowded restaurant, he'll rethink taking us out again. ;) At dinner Skylar had us laughing hysterically. The waiter came by to take our order and Miss priss says - uh yes, I'll have...hmm...I'll have 1 fish stick please. We were at a Mexican food restaurant. We just laughed. I can't believe how big she's getting and sooooo much sass!

Another Tuesday ritual is our learning board. I got the idea from a friend and it works beautifully. Every Tuesday, Skylar is sent home with a newsletter from the school of upcoming events but also a newsletter from her teacher of what they're specifically working on this week. So every morning, my day starts a little like this...

She loves the board! She wants to point to each word as she reads her memory verse. It really works great. My handwriting is awful but since I know daddy will never do this...Skylar will just have to cope. After I'm done sipping coffee and sorting through the different pieces of info - her board looks like this...

So each time we sit down for breakfast or dinner, I set the board in a plate stand and we review. This weeks memory verse is a GREAT one! "Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. Col 3:20" Amen.

Day 14: Eva is 2 months old!!!

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I love seeing her grow and her personality come through but at the same time, it's all going by way too fast. I was content with the idea that she'd be my last but now that I see how fast she's growing - I'm not ready to give up this sweet baby stage. She is SUCH a good baby. I know most mama's must say that of their sweet little cherub babes but seriously, Eva is amazing. Matthew and I are both in awe of how laid back and easy going she is. She really just goes with the flow and doesn't complain much at all. She started sleeping though the night at 5 1/2 weeks old and at first, I was worried she wouldn't be eating enough but that clearly is NOT a problem because she is a chunk! During the day we can stick her in her swing and she's a happy camper. You can take her just about anywhere and as long as she's snuggled down in her comfy carseat she's good. I have this nagging feeling that I'm going to regret singing her praises and that yes, the other shoe is soon to fall. But for now I'm enjoying her. Every part of her. Funny that today was her official "birthday" and also the day that she decided to coo and "talk" to us. I love seeing her face light up when she makes eye contact. Right now her favorite things (aside from mama's milk) are her daddy's whiskers, Skylar's voice, and her beloved "gee" (pacifier). We are all very much in love with her. In fact Brycen loves her so much that when she cries for any period of time, he gets very anxious and will literally drag me to her and point - "baby cry" "no baby - no cry!" He's either concerned for her well being or maybe just like any other male with the attitude of - can someone please shut that baby up?!

 She has her 2 month check up on Thursday so I'll report back her stats which I'm sure are up there because if there's anything that she does well - it's eat!! We love you Eva - cakes! Thank you for being part of our crazy family!

Day 13: Cold(s) strikes again

Interestingly enough, the title of this post has two meanings. Our 75 degree Cali weather is gone and in it's place is rainy, soggy, 40 degree weather. The other topic of this post is that try as we may, we couldn't seem to escape the snot roaming around. I'll take the runny nose over the flu any day and considering how our location is code red, I'm extremely okay with a little bit of snot. My post a few days ago mentioned Bryce coming down with something and sure enough, he isn't really making any improvements. We are still running clear in the nasal passages but he is up again down again with his moods. Couple that with potty training and it's a nightmare. He was doing so very well those first couple of days but then it went downhill. I WILL preserve even though putting him in a diaper would me so much easier and keep me from scrubbing the carpet, his legs, hands, walls, clothes, etc of poop! Sigh. Please let tomorrow be a better day.

In other news, our Houston Texans lost today which means we are out for the rest of the season. A lot of Houstonians are disappointed but I think they should be proud of how far we've come. We look so much better each year so maybe, fingers crossed, next year is our year!!!