Fun Stuff

I received a box of 101 cookie cutter shapes for my birthday (purchased at Wal-Mart) and I can't express to you how much fun we are having with them. There are letters, numbers, shapes, trucks, sports themed, and holiday themed cookie molds. Will and I made a big batch of cookies today and tomorrow we will have fire truck sandwiches for lunch. You could even use the cookie cutters with Play-Doh for another fun indoor activity. I give them two thumbs up and recommend them to all of you moms and grandmoms out there. (Thanks mom)
I had a blue ribbon day with Abby and her bottle. She fussed this morning for only 10 minutes before taking it and tonight she took the bottle with little hesitation. The key to it is (which only took me months to discover) to heat the milk until it is really warm. If it has cooled the slightest bit, she won't take it. Finicky yes...a little spoiled yes....but I'll take it.
Tonight Will and I had a great mother-son outing. Baskin Robbins had 31 cent scoop night so Will and I headed out to partake in the fun after Sissy went down. They even had an entire fire department (crew plus trucks) there to work the event. We had such a nice time....like the olden days....just me and my little boy.

Catch Up

Where to begin.....

Last week seems like one big blur so I will just start with the weekend. I had a great 31st birthday with all of my family. We went home for the weekend and celebrated with my parents, brother, soon to be sister-in-law, aunts, cousins, and my uncle (the usual birthday crowd). I had a great time and the extra attention was so nice. My mom was definitely meant to be a mother and a grandmother because she does both so very well. I never lift a finger the whole time I am home. I leave everything else behind and jump right back into that daugther role that I left behind so long ago. It's amazing how my parents still look at me as lovingly at 31 as they did when I was a little girl. They make me feel so young and then I look in the mirror. :)))

I learned the other night that Abby is allergic to rice cereal. I have given it to her twice and both times she vomits for nearly two hours until she has nothing left in her little body. It happened on Thursday night and Sunday night as well. The dr. told me to lay off the cereal for another month and then try it again. Bless her heart...she has had a time with her stomach...reflux and now this. On a positive note though, she has taken milk from a bottle twice. She won't take very much but she at least takes a little bit. It is a start and it has left me feeling pretty optimistic.

We sure did enjoy the run of beautiful weather and I am sad that rain is about to set in. We have several things on the calendar this week so it should help to pass the time by somewhat fast. With all the time in doors, my blog just might get a little more attention.

(Here is a video of Will helping Brian mow last night. He mowed beside Brian the entire time. I sat on the deck with tears running down my face just watching him. They grow up too fast.)

Blog Neglect...

For my faithful blog readers, I apologize. This week has been hectic with places to go, family visits, sick children, and a very tired momma. Two nights this week I averaged about 4 hours of sleep so I am running on empty. We are heading home tomorrow for my big 31 so I will write a blog-worthy entry when we return along with some birthday pictures. Wishing all of you a nice, restful weekend and hopefully lots of good weather.

Picture Ramblings..

We had a nice weekend but I am not sure where it went. Saturday, Sissy and I went on our first official shopping trip together while the boys attended the downtown festivities. I had a great time piddling around with Abby and found several great buys for Will at the Children's Place. They had a $1.99 rack (winter clothes of course) and I got him several things. You know me and bargains.

Yesterday, I felt like I spent all day (mentally and physically) getting ready for our 4:20 picture appointment. After a lot of going back and forth, I finally decided a couple hours before we were suppose to leave that I wanted a family shot as well. This of course changed my outfit selections and added a bit more pressure to the getting ready part of the day. So between trying to time Sissy's naps just right (which didn't work), getting our clothes ironed, getting everyone bathed and ready, getting to Portrait Innovations on time, waiting 45 minutes to get our picture taken, trying to keep Sissy and Will happy while we waited.....we were all worn out. There were several moments through out the day that Brian and I both almost said forget it. We just never realized how much work went into getting professional pictures taken. However, it was well worth it. You live and learn and I will do several things differently next time like get the first appointment of the day (no wait time) and plan out the outfits a little sooner than 2 hours prior to leaving. Overall though....not bad for our first family photo. Here are some of my favorites.

Weekly Wrap Up

Here are the highlights and low lights of the week.
1. For some reason, I felt lazy all week long....words can hardly explain how much I wanted to crawl in bed and stay there all day long. Regardless, the kids and I managed to survive pretty well considering my lack of motivation. We played with Play-Doh for the first time, visited the pet store, and did lots of coloring.
2. I have been trying to walk in the evening (once Abby is sound alseep) and can't tell you how much I have enjoyed it. I typically find a neighbor to go with me which doubles the enjoyment...exercise AND great company. However, after going to the Dr. for my yearly check-up on Tuesday and seeing that I am 8+ pounds from where I was two years ago, I may need to do more walking and less talking.
3. Our friends (Vicky, A.J., and Zach) came to visit us today. It is always such a treat when they are here. Vicky is one of my dearest friends and how lucky are we that our kids adore one another. It is a play date unlike any other because our boys play and play and we get to talk and talk. I am so grateful for her friendship. (You can see some pictures below.)
4. Brian, Will, and Brian's dad are going to enjoy some downtown excitement on Saturday. I don't know who is looking more forward to it...Will or Brian. While they are gone, Abby and I plan to do a little shopping because the kids are getting their pictures taken on Sunday. It will be their first brother-sister picture and I can't wait to see how they turn out.
Hope you have a blessed weekend.

Easter Weekend

We sure had a great, jam packed, non-stop weekend. Will really got excited about all the Easter festivities (egg decoration, egg hunts, Easter baskets, candy, family get togethers, etc) this year which made it even more fun for me and Brian. I think his eyes in these pictures say it all.

Will also attended his first official birthday party Saturday morning and had a great time. It took him a while to warm up (which may have been due to the fact that he was the only boy amidst lots of cute, little girls) but once he did...he had a ball. He loved the Easter egg hunt and the ice cream cake. We spent today with Brian's family and enjoyed more egg hunting and, of course, more eating which is why I am going to bed feeling a little sluggish tonight. I have helped myself to far too many sweet treats and have vowed to do much better tomorrow and the upcoming days ahead. Never mind the 6 yummy cup cakes that are sitting on my kitchen counter that I haven't even sampled yet. I'm going to try not to give in but you never know when you need a rainy, Monday pick-me-up.

Weekly Wrap-Up

Here are the highlights and low lights of my week....
1. I have enjoyed the past couple days of pretty weather. Will and I have spent lots of time outside playing together (while Abby naps) and I have loved every minute of it. He is at such a cute age right now....so fun, innocent, and sweet.
2. Will discovered today that Abby does not have the same male part that he does (although he has seen me change her diaper a 100 times). It was a very interesting conversation to say the least. You could just see his little wheels turning.
3. The kids and I went to the mall with Jen and Eli on Wednesday and actually did a little shopping. I came away with a pair of jeans and two tops. It was a very enjoyable morning. We were going to do lunch but I didn't want to ruin a good thing. I figured if I left while I was ahead, I'd be willing and wanting to shop again. (Not sure if that is a good thing or not :)
4. I'll be taking the kids to Riley's 3rd birthday party on Saturday and then off to church that afternoon. We are having brunch and an Easter egg hunt on Sunday with Brian's family to ring in the Easter holiday. It will be lots of fun.
5. Lastly, Brian's mom made Abby the cutest little Easter dress. I will take pictures this weekend so you can see what a talented seamstress she is. I am blessed with a mom AND a mother-in-law that like to sew and are very good at it. Unfortunately, I can barely turn my sewing machine on. :(
Hope you have a blessed Easter and please don't loose sight of the reason for this holiday. It is easy for the Easter bunny and basket to get all the attention but the focus should be on the fact that we have a LIVING savior and that Christianity exists because of Him and his many sacrifices.

Not such a bad mom after all...

Today, we took Will to the dentist for the first time. I made this appointment because Will's front, center, bottom tooth was getting darker and darker. I have been so embarrassed by the idea that he could have a cavity at 2 1/2 years old. A sure sign of parental neglect :((( I hated to think of him suffering for something I could have done better. I brush his teeth every day but figured I just wasn't doing a good enough job.

Well--good news. Evidently, he must have hit his tooth (and pretty hard to cause such discoloration) so it wasn't a cavity after all. The dentist said that the tooth might hang in there and even get lighter in color or it will fall out. Lets hope for the first one. None the less, it was a learning experience and one Will does not care to do again for a long time. Lucky for me, I left there feeling somewhat relieved that I wasn't such a bad mom after all.

Weekend Wrap Up

It is Sunday 4 :00 and I am feeling unusually tired. I will probably go ahead and attribute it to Sissy who decided to get up at 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, and 6:30. My little girl.
So for the wrap-up..
1. Brian has a really bad cold/virus. He wasn't able to go to work on Friday and poor thing still feels about the same. It is the most down I have seen him in a while. I pray he gets feeling better.
2. Abby had her 4 month check up on Friday and is doing fabulous. She is in the 75th percentile for length and 55th percentile for weight. I would have guessed her weight percentile much higher because she is certainly getting some love chubs on her. So cute.
3. I ended up making dinner for 3 families on Friday night (including my own). I do pretty good to cook every night for my own family much less two others.
4. Saturday, we went to see Brian's new downtown office. It is so nice and modern. I was very impressed. The views are fabulous and being downtown is so neat. Will loved seeing the airplanes fly overhead. Oh and Sissy wore a dress for the first time. She looked pretty sweet.
5. Saturday was also our anniversary so we went out on a date for the first time in many, many, many, many (did I stress many?) months. Poor Brian felt pretty miserable....a fever, the sweats, congestion, but he would not let me reschedule. He was determined to take me out and we had such a nice time. We are definitely going to invest in a sitter once a month so that we can continue to have some alone time together.
6. We spent all day today (Sunday) playing outside before the big storm and change in weather. I am sad that it is going to be cold and yucky for a while. (I will post a clip of Will riding his big boy bike. He is doing so good.)
7. That about sums it up. I am going to try a Flank Steak recipe tonight courtesy of Ashley. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
Here is quick clip of Will riding his bike and Sissy's first dress.

Am I really that fragile?

When the sun came out yesterday, I realized something about myself (though I had always suspected it). My mood can really be affected by the weather. I had been having the mommy-blahs and yesterday, after waking up to that beautiful sunshine, I felt terrific. I played more energetically with the kids, laughed more, and just felt more like myself. Except for one minor-somewhat major-oops at the end of the day.....we all had such a nice day. Sissy was even full of smiles. I suppose I better toughen up though because you know what they say....April showers bring May flowers. There may be lots more rain ahead of me. Here are some pictures from our bright, fun, sunny day.

PS....Our anniversary is Saturday and we are going on our first date in many, many months. I can't wait!