Spring-like Weekend

One thing I love about our Southern home is that we get glimpses of spring every winter.  This weekend was FABULOUS.  I had to do a little work Saturday morning, and little man was still whiny/sick most of Saturday, but I would still rate the weekend as a 9 out of 10.  Both days we spent the entire afternoon hanging out in the backyard. 

My job was to pick up the dog poop - a never ending chore when you haven't cleaned the yard in 3 months.  The kiddos played on their own for the most part.  At 2.5 and almost 5 they have developed a strong bond and play (for the most part) really well together.  They were a bit mischievous at times, but at this age it is pretty quick to realize they are planning an ambush with the water hose (they just get really quiet and big sis is doing all the whispering while little man giggles).

Disco did all sorts of chores outside which contributed to the yard itself beginning to look inviting again.  And by the end of the day Sunday we all did a bit of leaf raking.  Oh spring, I look forward to your eventual arrival.  Thanks for stopping by to visit this weekend!  :)


Little man loves helping!






















Little man was excited
about his work gloves :)



Big sis wasn't too thrilled about the process . . .






















. . . until she found her own way
to collect leaves!  :)

Potty Training Elmo

Potty training had a big set back this week due to illness.  But this is a picture from last weekend when little man refused pullups and would only wear "panties".  The Elmo costume is actually size 12-18 mos so he wears it like a shirt.  He just makes me smile!  And I know all of you are SOO jealous of our sweet 50's tile ;)

Strep . . . Again

Poor little man!  He has strep again.  Last time he had strep it took us forever to get rid of the darn bug.  So far we are outside of the recommendation limits for an ENT consult.  It just seems that every time he has a cold two weeks later we have strep in the house.  Coincidence?  Or is he a strep carrier and when things get out of whack does the bug then take the opportunity to rear its ugly head?  For big sis it was ear infections that popped up after colds (over and over and over again).  And once she got tubes it all got better.  For now we are on the "wait and see" plan.  A plan that in principle I agree with but when we keep dealing with a pitiful kiddo and awkward schedules it gets kind of old.  And of course the potential heart complications add more worry to the whole mix - especially since we don't head to the doctor's office as quickly as we could sometimes because we try to let things run their course.  At any rate, here we are again.  Hopefully by Sunday little man will be feeling better!

Sweet hair and sweet chocolate
milk'stash on a sweet little man :)

Movin' Right Along

Wow - this week is almost over!  We have been busy catching up, playing with the kiddos, doing puzzles, rearranging furniture, cleaning, going to work, going to school, and fighting colds.  Pretty typical winter week.  Getting kind of tired of runny noses and fevers.  But spring-like weather and a bit of sunshine for the past two days in a row have lightened everyone's spirits a bit.  Nothing major to report, moving right along as usual.  Hoping for a healthier weekend!

The Little Man Update

Little man.  Sweet little man.  So far he has shown no interest in potty training.  Some of his friends have already jumped full force into underwear and panties instead of pull ups.  But I had just recently resigned myself that it was going to take us much longer.  And it still will.  However, this weekend little man refused to wear his pullup beginning Saturday morning.  He only wanted his "panties."  Little man still has no inkling as to how to tell he needs to potty.  We have 8 pair of little boy "panties" and he went through every single one of them Saturday and most of them again on Sunday.  And that was even with a timer that at one point was set for every 20 mins because we kept "missing" the timing of his peeing on every inch of the house.  This is going to be an interesting process. . .

In addition to our potty training process, little man is developing more of his personality.  He has figured out that crying every time big sis doesn't let him have his way is a good way of getting her to re-think her action.  Not sure this is a good thing but it is interesting to watch the way they work out the problem after he turns on the water works.  He has to do EVERYTHING his big sis is doing lately.  Little man is also describing his world with more detail in full sentences that surprise us every once in a while.  And yesterday he was thinking into the past and the future - he asked me if he could wear his Elmo costume (worn earlier in the week) to school tomorrow.  These are all small developments but such simple examples of a toddler turning into a little boy. 

Here are some of our latest conversations.  Nothing groundbreaking, but sweet to me. 

In the car Sunday.  Little man and big sis were in the backseat and Disco and I were in the front seat:
Little man:  I tell you a secret mom
Me:  Ok, what is it
Little man:  The BUS!  (not the least bit of a whisper - he yelled it as LOUD as he could, and yes, there was a bus across the intersection from us)

Sunday night after dinner:
Little man:  We get the kitty all zipped up and go outside.
Me:  Are you talking about porch kitty?
Little man:  Yes.  Porch kitty.  We go out the front door pathway.  Not the back pathway.
(who taught this kid pathway???  must be some molecular biology nerds or someone like that . . . )

Beach Bums

The state of our house when I leave the kiddos alone with Disco always cracks me up.  They usually plan some grand adventures.  Well, really the kiddos plan some adventures and Disco "accessorizes."  I went for a walk this morning and this is what they were doing when I got back:

Big sis told me they were playing beach party and she was a mermaid.  I guess they are ready for summer - can't say that I blame them!  

Sweet Dreams

Today is ANOTHER SNOW DAY!  Wow!  It hardly ever happens that we get more than one round of snow in a year.  Snow is in the forecast for this weekend too.  And I haven't even finished posting all the snow pics from last week. 

So I'll make this the last post from our January 10th-11th snow days.  The state of our kiddos at the end of our second snow day (Jan 11th):

Both kiddos DROPPED for a late afternoon nap last Tuesday. Little man fell asleep on the way home from the park while big sis went through all the trouble to put on one of her princess dresses just to curl up and fall asleep on the couch.

I'll be sleeping for a while myself while I catch up after the long process of making it through my project deadline.  I didn't get to make my presentation today because of the snow but everything is FINISHED.  Unlike these sweet kiddos I'll probably be snoring and drooling on my pillow. But the sleep will be worth it!

The Second Snow Day

I don't remember if I mentioned this or not, but little man was sick the two days we were playing in the snow last week.  Thankfully Dr. B. was available to answer my many text messages!  The cold/moist air did little man some good.  Also, the kiddos are young enough that we didn't spend extended amounts of time outside anyway.  We pretty much took more time getting ready to head out for our short adventures in the snow than the time we were outside.

Both kiddos enjoyed being outside.  And by the second day little man was doing much better.  The second day of snow we did some sledding, built a snowfrog and snowman and hiked around the green line as well as the park. 

Here are our snowman and snowfrog building shots.  Enjoy!

Career Goals

I had planned on posting more snow pics today but the following bedtime conversation with the kiddos cracked me up so I'll save the additional snow posts for tomorrow. 

Big sis and I were talking by ourselves after we read some bedtime stories:
Big sis:  I want to be the tooth fairy or a teacher when I grow up!
Me:  That is interesting . . . I think the teaching gig might be a little easier.
Big sis:  I need to go to tooth fairy class!

Subject randomly changed as it does with all 4 year olds.  Soon afterward little man wandered back into big sis' room looking for mommy:
Big sis:  Little man, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Little man:  (long pause) I want to be SANTA!

Clearly our children have already established very realistic career goals.

Night Sledding

I don't know if you have realized it yet . . . be we took A LOT of snow pictures last week.  So I've been taking advantage of this by spreading out the snow posts.  Works out well for me this week!  :)

Anyway we have a great sledding slope behind our house.  It isn't huge and it does have to snow quite a bit to cover it well.  Usually Disco also has to do some "course maintenance" for the best conditions.  But it has been nice to be able to utilize it the last two years. 

These are our night sledding adventures.  Aunt K was able to join us this particular evening.  Eventually I'll post our video of our daytime sledding adventures.  Needless to say, everyone loves to sled around here! 

Slumber Party

Big sis has started BEGGING for a slumber party with one of her friends.  I'm not quite ready for this b/c of two reasons.  Time is a big one this semester.  I have to meet a deadline on January 20th and that SHOULD be the last of big projects this semester.  But I am also taking an on-line class until May.  I really feel like this will be a better semester but just in case I don't want to overload our weekends. 

The second reason is one I am not sure how to handle.  Big sis still wets the bed.  This was something that I expected from our kids because I was a bed wetter for a long time.  But the worst part of wetting the bed for me was spending the night at friends' houses.  Since she is just four I really don't expect a lot of teasing and such but I know that bed wetting and self esteem can be related.  It is just something we will have to watch and discuss with her at some point.

So we are starting some "practice" slumber parties at the house.  It is something we can do that fits into our schedule and no worries about the bed wetting yet.  She got REALLY excited about decorating our bedroom and picked out a game and puzzle.  I guess she felt we had to decorate since the word "party" was included in "slumber party."  Both big sis and little man enjoyed the evening of food, a movie, dressing up, and games.  We finished the evening with our normal bedtime routine and both kiddos crashed. 

I have a few more posts of our snow pics from last week that I saved so I could coast through posting this week as my Jan 20th deadline approaches.  After that I hope to post "current" weekly events again.  Here are our slumber party pics from tonight.  Enjoy!

Snow Angels

Snowball Fight

Our kiddos are 2.5 years old and 4.75 years old.  Snowball fights are a little "tame" with this crowd.  But they sure are cute!  :)




Snow Fort























Preppin' snowballs . . . serious work.























Silly snowball fight!

















Somebody got little man
with SEVERAL snowballs :)



Sledding!



My fav part of this pic is that big sis is wearing my gloves
because she told us "I left my gloves at school
in the lost and found."  And that is just where she
found them on Wednesday :)




On your mark, get set . . .






















GO!!!!



 

Little man was so proud of sledding
by himself this year :)



Breakfast by Little Man

Let the Snow Posts Begin

We don't get much snow around here.  So when 4 inches fall from the sky it is a thing to celebrate!  Unfortunately little man is sick but in between breathing issues and fevers he is enjoying the snow.  Just at a slower pace than usual.

This morning we did a bit of sledding and made snow ice cream.  Soon we will head back out for more! 

Just beyond our back fence is the sledding slope ;)

Ready to GO!

Snowy Duo

Who's #1?  Mom!  Because she made the snow ice cream

Too busy eating to stop for a smile ;)

And now why we love Aunt K . . .

Tonight we needed to attend a party at my boss' house.  I had forgotten about the party until around Weds or so.  But Aunt K had agreed earlier in the week to hang with the kiddos so we could go out with some friends anyway.  We figured out that we could go to the party for an hour or so and then meet a couple that we hardly ever see for a quick drink.  But we have kids . . .

Of course little man began running a fever today.  Because that is what happens when mommy and daddy make plans.  I am SO THANKFUL that Aunt K is a respiratory therapist.  I don't think I could have even considered leaving little man so pitiful with anyone else.  It squashed her plans for Chuck E. Cheese with the kiddos but they seemed to work out fun activities at home. 

We ran to the work party and then checked in with Aunt K.  Little man was doing fine and actually ate a little bit of dinner.  So we met up with our friends for about an hour.  Then I got the call I had expected all night.  Little man wasn't looking so good according to Aunt K.  And he asked to get on the phone and he said "I want you mommy."  Broke my heart!  We headed home and he went right to sleep after we got settled.  He was SO SWEET!

Aunt K rocks for letting us get out of the house for a quick adult night!  Thankfully you missed the fever-induced puking that plagued little man shortly after you left - first time ever that you missed that fun!  ;)  And we hope little man gets well soon.  He always makes me worry when he is sick since we end up at the ER about once a year (and now it is a new year!).  But oh how sweet and cuddly he is when he is sick . . . poor little man!

Attack!

This is why we love Uncle Scott . . . he lets the kiddos get away with anything!    We just can't stop laughing at the silliness of this "attack."  Our favorite part is toward the end - watch for a "sneak side-attack" by little man.  Classic!

And I promise I wasn't the one who instigated the "attack".  Promise ;)

Sugar Free Household

The day of the Sugar Bowl the kiddos and Disco were fired up!  Everyone was dressed in their Razorback finest.  Little man kept shouting "Woo pid sooie!  Wazerbats!"  We even stopped at the local cupcake shop to cash in little wooden coins good for a "free" cupcake from Santa.  Of course the cupcakes were all decked out in red and white.  But, I forgot to take a single picture of the cupcakes or the outfits.  

At bedtime big sis and little man were so disappointed that they would miss watching the game with daddy.  We finally decided to let the school-night rules stretch a bit and the kiddos got to stay up to watch two touch downs before heading back to bed.  Too bad the Sugar Bowl didn't exactly go as the hog fans in this house had planned. 

But there are no fair weather fans around this house  . . . we're still calling the hogs today.  I know there are some sad hog fans still nursing their hangovers and pride out there.  So here are the cutest little hog fans wired and tired watching the Sugar Bowl in their bedtime gear callin' them hogs!  Woo pig sooie!

Impressed!

The kiddos and I had some extra time this afternoon to visit our local park. The park these days is a very easy experience compared to when the kiddos were younger.  Big sis swings or finds a friend in the crowd to play with while we are there.  And little man is fairly independent, although I hear "Mom!" often enough to know I shouldn't really plan to sit at the park yet. 

Today there were two older boys (maybe 6 and 8) playing hide and seek when we got there.  I noticed big sis eyeing the situation and trying to decide if she should ask the boys if she could play too.  The boys were playing in a hedge at the edge of the park so I went ahead and gave the "don't go beyond the fence" rule before she even considered approaching them. 

I was very proud of big sis for two reasons:

• Our shy big sis walked right up to the boys and asked if she could play without any extra coaxing what so ever.  She did ask me if she could ask them to play (which I really think was a "should I ask them?" more than a question of permission).  But otherwise she didn't do her normal watch/approach but don't say anything/watch/ask me more questions/role play with me/approach/watch.  She walked up once and talked to them immediately.  I was very happy to see the boys welcome her without hesitation. 
• When the boys began getting past the edge of the fence again big sis hesitated and consulted the other mom, approached the hedge, hesitated again, and then consulted me about the situation.  To witness her really considering the rule and problem solve was amazing!  Her solution was to just get me to go with her.  But I thought it was great that I could trust her not to go beyond the boundaries we established. 

It was a fun day at the park.  And yet another moment to consider how much of a "big girl" she is these days!

Happy 2011!

On New Year's Eve it hit me that I should look back at 2010.  In my mind it hadn't been the most joyous of years.  But sometimes I have tunnel vision and I "can't see the forest for the trees."  Lately I keep looking toward the future like finishing school and adjusting my work hours.  While I was thinking about this past year I realized there have been several positive changes already. 

• Last January I was still breastfeeding little man, working full time, and attending classes full time.  I can't even imagine that schedule anymore! 

• I was also less than halfway through the degree program last January.  Now I only have 2 projects and 1 class to finish.  Two of those 3 items will be completed this spring. 

• I wasn't taking care of myself at all.  I was overweight, eating too much, sleeping too little, and not exercising at all.  And my cholesterol was too high.  I still have about 10lbs to go, but I definitely am doing much better at taking care of me.  My cholesterol is back to normal and I am within my normal weight range again.  Still not sleeping great, at least one kiddo wakes up each night.  But the exercising and eating habits are under control at the moment.

• I am really looking forward to reducing my work hours in the future (hopefully by August 2012 when little man starts pre-K).  But this past fall I made some significant adjustments to my work schedule by going to work early 3 days each week.  It ended up being a simple change that made a big difference in my attitude (I'm really a morning person) and it allowed me extra time in the afternoons with the kiddos.  

Sometimes briefly looking backward really puts today into perspective.  However, I am still looking forward to some additional positive changes in 2011. I've included my New Year's Resolutions list in this post.  I decided to put together a list of 11 things in honor of 2011.  Some are easy, some will be challenging, some are just simple reminders to focus on happiness.  Best wishes for a happy new year!

1)  Drink more water
2)  Sign up for yoga
3)  Explore a career direction - so far I keep "going with the flow" at work and it is time to start thinking about things I would like to do as well
4)  Sleep
5)  Finish school (sometimes you just have to put a "gimme" on the list :)
6)  Spend more time doing one on one activities with the kiddos
7)  Save money for vacations (like our 10 year wedding anniversary in VEGAS)
8)  Go on dates with my husband
9)  Sit and read books
10)  Create a household budget (and STICK with it!)
11)  Smile and Laugh