One Sassy Family

I LuB you

Mar 242012

You have the bluest eyes I have ever seen. They are like the ocean on the clearest of days.

Your lashes are like the false ones celebrities buy to make them feel more beautiful. They are long, and full, and amazing.

You have the softest skin (just like your daddy) and such a beautiful tone of cream color to it. Because of this, you are called a little cherub or angel by us, and often when I look at you, I’m reminded of the paintings of baby angels inside the ceilings of churches.

You are strong. So very strong that it amazes your father and I. We are shocked at how close in size and stature you are to your (2yrs) older brother.

You are stubborn (just like your ~~dad,~~ *ahem* parents) You know what you want, and will try hard to get your way.

You are gentile and loving. You will often remark that you “lub us so much” You are sweet with your baby brother, and light up the room with your grins.

You love to dance. I mean LOVE to dance. You’ve invented the tushie dance, and make it impossible for anyone who sees it not to smile.

You have a love affair with spaghetti, Popsicles, parmesan cheese, Chocolate Birds cereal (aka CoCo Puffs), your blankey (or Mankey), sharks, pish, & Finn McMissile.

You’re current other favorites also include playing the game animals after we have prayed at dinner. (You like the great white shark best), and begging for a trip to Dairy Queen for dessert. If we give in to the DQ trip, you will request a mini blizzard and promptly finish it before we get back into the house.

You are one of my most favorite people (along with your Daddy & brothers) and I can’t believe that God gave us you. You are simply wonderful and immensely loved.

Pish update

Mar 212012

This is for Liz…..

Remember back here when I posted about the fishes aka pishes, we bought at Wally World? Well, recently the status quo changed a bit.

The day started out craptasticly.

Joe, sweet hubby that he is, let me sleep in as late as possible before he headed off to work. He did this because he knew I’d be working a pick up shift overnight that evening. Love that man.

My plan was to get up, get my food, and get the kids to the park to run off their energy, AND pray that we all got a nap in.

But, from the start, this was not to be.

1st, I lost my glasses. And friends let me tell you, I’m probably legally blind without them. My eyes weren’t at all contact ready, because Mr. M has been wanting to feed every 2 hours overnight due to teething. So, the bags under my eyes looked like I’ve been on a 21 yrd olds drinking binge.

2nd, upon greeting sweet M & picking him up to snuggle, I discovered some lovely “gifts” he’d ever so carefully placed in his bottom region.

After changing him, his clothing, the diaper pad, AND my clothes, I proceeded to get the older boys clothes for the park. I looked at the fish, and noticed that Jack’s was laying sideways, pretty much begging for his last rites.

To be fair, I’d noticed him sporting spots the night before asked Joe if we should worry, but dismissed it because I was tired.

Now knowing that we had a flusher on our hands, I did what any mom would do, and called for back up. Joe said to get him another, and we agreed maybe a seperate tank would be better since they are supposed to have 1 gallon = to 1 inch of fish. Ours are an inch each, and therefore, we reasoned, too crowded.

As I was gently was breaking the news of the pending death, L came up stairs and informed me (and my nose) that he too had jumped on the crap wagon. This was only mildy dumbfounding because he’d been potty trained now for a while, but his stools had been a bit looser the last few days, so I reasoned that was the cause.

I cleaned him up, tubbed him, and still tried to balence a sassy 8 month old (crap… he’s 8 months… hold me), comfort a 5 yr old wondering how in the world flushing the fish would get it to heaven, and still not being able to see much in front of me.

Friends, all this happened in the first 45 min of being awake.

It.was.awesome

We went to walmart and on the way there, we OVERLY discussed the fish and why he may have died, and if he’d get to heaven. Jack also then stated that he was “glad for his fish because it would be with our baby sister and Jesus. I bet my sister is beautiful mom, I can’t wait to meet her. Will you tell her hi for me when you get there? Do you know Tukey that she has angel wings and protects us from monsters….”

Yeah, thank goodness for sunglasses, because somehow a dead fish made me cry.

After a nutty ride in the shopping cart, the fish made it home safely, but not without a quick stop at the park. Upon arrival, karma was once again showing it’s PMS to me. I hadn’t even gotten Max strapped in the stroller before Luke took a fall that required a bandaid on both knees and one on his hand.

Here’s the new guy….

When we got home I made the excutive decision, that I would flush the newly deceased and not make a big deal about it. Thankfully, Jack didn’t either.

While I’m still unsure of his name, here is the new guy. I pray he makes it longer then 18 days.

Thank you

Mar 202012

Lately I’ve been the one to call you up and unload my hard day(s). Vent my fears, cry about my worries and run through my hopes or plans.

You have answered your phone, called me back, listened and not criticized.

You have been amazing.

I thank God for you.

All of you.

For your love, your prayers, you advice and feedback.

I can’t tell you how much better it makes a crazy day.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Keepin it real: Meet the house, Living room

Mar 072012

Meet the living room!

This is the first room you see off the foyer, and most would call it a formal living room.

However, while the furniture is very nice (big thanks to the prior home owners ) The room is used as a play area for our kids, an area for one of us to read or just like any living room for guest overflow and chatting. The kid friendly part is done on purpose, for 2 reasons. First is that our basement is under construction, and second, I am not a very formal person… so, once the basement is back to normal, this will lose some of the toys around, but still function as an area the kids can use.

When I started this segment, I promised to keep it real. The day I took foyer photos, it looked like this.

And here is now it looks today…… Sorry about the difference in angle.

You’ll notice the tent in the room now. It’s part of the fort that was built yesterday, and while my OCD, would like it down, I’ve really been working on letting that go lately. We have doubled the size of our last house, and on the off chance that unexpected company stops over, they can giggle at the fort. If they want to judge me, then they shouldn’t be stopping over. :)

Above the couch are 2 photos I got for free at the local hospital where I work. They were having a recycle a thon, and I liked the prints. Te green topped table was a craigslist find, and has 2 drawers for train storage on either side. The remainder of the trains go in the bins below. Under the end tables and in the first photo are totes of geo tracks. See below.

Above is another of the first day, I felt like I did a better job getting the natural light in the room used to my advantage so you could see the room. Speaking of that, what we LOVE about this room is all of the natural light, the big bay window, the soft carpet, and the general size. On our wishlist for it would be some paint on the walls, and an overhead light.

This room is such a nice, un-necessary space. I call it that because we have another living (we call it family) room. But, having this allows me to relax my OCD and let the kids be kids. Leaving up their large train track creations, or geo track creations, or forts for days at a time. It also allows the dogs to greet the neighborhood, and alert me to visitors.

The next space on my list to share is the dining room. Here’s a quick preview (fort included)

From the mouths of Babes

Mar 062012

Seen and heard in our house lately…

“My froat (throat) hurts and it’s freaking me out”

“are you finking (thinking) what I’m finking?”

“this is ridiculous!!!”

“if you put your finger in ____’s belly button, it smells bad”

“sometimes when I toot, I put my finger in my b u t t and check for poop”

me: please tell me you wash your hands after

“nope, I toot a lot mom”

I’m not telling who said what, or whom they were talking about…. but you can bet it was one or both of these yahoos….

You’d never know

Mar 042012

You’d never know that since Feb. 6th he’s been to the ER twice (once with a rectal temp of 105), the doctor 4 times, and urgent care 1 time.

Nor would you know that he’s now on his 2nd prescription.

While admittedly he’s been more fussy then normal, and I’m choosing not to state all the ailments here, just by seeing this adorable toothy grin, you’d never know how sick he’s really been.

That’s our Max. Flirting with the doctor when only an hour earlier he was miserable. Offering a smile 90% of the day. Eating like a champ and starting to really “talk” more.

He came into our lives just 7.5 months ago, and never knew how much more joy could be added to our days.

Max, you are such a special little guy. You’d never know how much we were missing before you arrived.

Current Favorites.

Mar 032012

I’ve been thinking lately that there are a TON of things I use on a daily/weekly basis that are becoming favorites in our home. I felt like a blog post to share them might be helpful for others who have kids or just in general.

***I was not paid for any of these opinions. They are my own and I’ve come to really like or in some cases LOVE these items through my own trial and error.

I thought I would include at least one item per family member.

To start I chose Max.

I’m speaking for him by saying that his favorite is Hylands Teething Tablets. I LOVE these. L O V E. I’ve tried oral gel and while it’s ok, M cries after it’s given and really seems freaked out by the after effects. With the Hyland’s, the only real challenege is the attempt to get it to dissolve under his tongue. I’ve given that up, and instead, I just place it under for as long as he will let me (which is less then 4 seconds) and let it dissolve. I usually do 2 at a time and only do it about 2x per day as needed. It’s been amazing.

** Also, the other thing Max loves is attached to my upper mid-section and won’t be up for a link to click on

On Joe’s list of loving this for our Keurig. He usually mixes it with this, and drinks at least 1 per day.

For Luke, it would have to be these, as an ALL TIME Favorite. He calls it Mankey and we have 2 cousins who love them as well. I adore them for nursing, as I’m large and in charge in the b r e a s t area, and it gives me ample coverage without making me feel too sweaty.

For Jack, he loves a lot, but lately we are being pestered to purchase these…. and I’m unsure how I feel about it. I’m one to not buy something like that without it being for x-mas or b-day, yet it’s not like they are over $40.00. However, I still want to think about it, find a way to incorporate him earning part of it, and or decide if I have enough hair that’s not already gray to stomach him using them.

Oreo and Chole are in love with this…. but can you really blame them. Sadly, they usually get these instead..

For me it’s the following:

Big thanks to Becca, for sharing it on her blog, I am now in love with Cozi. It makes EVERYTHING list and life-calendar wise so much easier. I make a list. Assign Joe or myself and send it to him on the spot. I used it last night to grocery shop, and for once didn’t forget a thing.

I also am in LOVE with Activia. I eat it daily and if I don’t, I notice. It’s made me more regular (TMI sorry) and just made me feel better in general.

The last thing I’m in love with is this blog. I read it everyday (sometimes being stalker-ish by checking it more then once a day) I always find the posts relevant, and really enjoy the ideas, tips, & tricks. It also bodes well that I happen to know this blogger IRL, but only discovered her blog years after I met her. She’s a real sweetheart and I’m so proud of all she’s done.

Meet the house: Bathroom 1

Mar 022012

This bathroom is right off the foyer when you walk in and I really like it.

The wallpaper is kinda cool, and the light fixture is one of my favorite parts.

While I wish that the faucet was more current, I wish it more because the kids have a hard time getting it on and regulating the tempreature. I also would like to eventually change out the hardware for something more modern and either silver or oil rubbed bronze.

I love that there’s enough space for a large stool (that also dubs as a potty chair) and a potty chair. We were potty training. But now L is done (whoopie). The thing I also love though is that the large stool (sorry I keep giggling about the fact that I’m talking about a bathroom and am saying stool, or rather large stool…. I’m so mature.), anyway, the stool fits at the sink all the time and the door still closes.

The only strange thing is that the rug I picked for in the bathroom, moves around all the time and makes me more OCD crazy.

The green is the stool/potty chair and the blue (or rather green-blue) is an Ikea potty. I highly recommend this one for just leaving in your car in-case you get caught not near a restroom or a park area doesn’t have one. It’s super cheap and sturdy.

That’s about all I have for the bathroom. Next will be the living room….. stay tuned.

All About A Pish

Mar 012012

Guess What?

(it can be said that the phrase “Guess What”, Is said in our home AT LEAST 500 times a day)

Anywayssssss

In the midst of illness and sssstttrrrreeessss, we had not one, but TWO very bright spots happen in our lives.

My sweet, blue eyed, L became FULLY potty trained. SO FLIPPING EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aside from the general thrill as a parent, it’s seriously so great to see his self confidence swell and his general pride in the whole thing.

The second VERY exciting thing was having J get into the local spanish immersion school.

We hemmed and hawed at trying to work even more, and then be able to afford private school for J. There are several close by (except the catholic one we loved that was in the opposite direction of where we head each day) and then then cost was worrysome. However, since we are nervous having 2 mortgages & all the rest of the bills, we decided that this would also be a great option and incredible oppertunity for J.

To celebrate these cool things, we gave in and spent a whole $0.76 to get the kids 2 gold fish. Or Pish as Tukey calls them.

(in fairness we already had the tank and supplies from a prior fish)

That said, J was thrilled for about the ride home, then he turned his attention back to the main thing that grabs it lately, Wii.

L however, was like this for a few hours.

Mom look, a pishhh. Two pishies

Below is Skidder…. but he’s been named twice. First he was Putz. Now Skidder. (He’s Jack’s Pish)

And WAYYYY to the right, is “Red, no Orange, No Red Gold Pish Mom…. his name is Red Gold Pish….

At least they were only 38 cents.

30 ++

Feb 292012

I have so much to say, and I have some great posts started in my head, but I can’t quite wrap them together…. thus the lul in posting. That and we have had some sickness in the house. I do have a few (read many ) posts coming to introduce you to the house. Stay tuned.

Sometime this month of Feb. I turned 30 ++. I’m not age ashamed, I’d just rather not give the spammers more ammo.

To celebrate this, the kids and I decided to hit up their favorite spot as of late. The Zoo….

Prior to leaving, I had to snap this.