Archive for January, 2010

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Ears have heard


2010
01.15

Posted in The boys | 2 Comments »

Recently in our house these are some things ears have heard…
“Don’t worry, Mom” (didn’t think I would hear that one THIS early!) ~Qade
“Cackr” ~Myles
“Okay, Mommy!” ~Qade
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” ~Qade (this of course was in response to a time out)
“Qade NOT whining!” ~Qade (the answer to the question, *Gasp* “Are you whining?” ha)
“Myles whining.” ~Qade (he does feel compelled to let us know when his baby brother is whining)
“It’s okay, Myles” ~ Qade (comforting the littlest lad, so sweet)
“Ah-Duh!” ~Myles (this is said loudly and often whenever he feels he should be released from his high chair)
“Da-duh” ~Myles (his cutie-pie version of “thank you”)
“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, I wanna show you somethin’” ~Qade (he was VERY excited about showing me something, but I don’t think he had the “something” in mind first, because we looked around for quite awhile before we found something)
“Mommy, “wotion” popped” ~Qade (sure enough I went to his room where some lotion had indeed “popped” all over the wall, dresser and floor)
“Hiiiiyyyyy” ~Myles (he says hi every time he hasn’t seen us for a little bit, after nap, in the morning, when Stu gets home from work)
“Ewww, Gross!” ~Qade (he was copying Mommy’s reaction to the nasty stuff being cleaned behind the bathroom faucet)

Our lads are quite vocal these days. Qade is so fun to talk with, and Myles is mimicking words like crazy!! I love hearing the voices of my little boys. Even when they are loud and screaming voices, I’m still thankful that they are here in my family now. :-)

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Not Moi Monday


2010
01.11

Posted in Not Me Monday | 2 Comments »

Feeling a little French today. I’ve been watching Julie and Julia probably WAY too much because I even DREAM about the yummy looking bruschetta dish at the beginning of the movie. I’m SO going to make that sometime. But it’s a fun chick flick and I’m so happy that my loving hubby gave it too me for Christmas!
Onward!!

So what have I been not up to this week?

Well, I did not allow my children to totally trash their room by dumping out EVERY toy container all over their floor. They also did not delve into other parts of the house where toys are kept and empty those toys into their fabulously tidy room as well. I then did not trick convince my helpful hubby to supervise the clean up with Monkey #1 while I gave Myles a bath. ;-) I’d never be that mean!
I did not move our poor “cold stricken” baby into our room so I wouldn’t have to trip up and down the stairs multiple times a night, and cause my poor husband to “move out” to the couch so he could actually get some rest. I then would not have blissfully stretched out in our bed and enjoy the extra space totally guilt free. ;-) (I’m convinced we need a bigger bed… don’t know why, neither of us has “grown” but the bed just seems to be not big enough for good sleep any more)
I did not put the empty box that Qade has claimed as his “car” in the garage to get it out of my way, only to fish it out again when Qade was frantically looking through the house for his “car.” Poor lad! Perhaps I should have stuck to my guns and told him the car was gone, but I just love his little imagination so much I couldn’t. Then while driving his “car” on the coffee table I did not neglect to make him stop and consequently he did not drive it right off the edge and crash. :-D It wasn’t totaled though so all is well, and he hasn’t been driving on the table anymore.
I did not put one lad down for a nap, leave the other lad watching a movie, and go take a shower. I would not have desperately needed to do this because I honestly could not remember the last shower I had…. I know, yuck. I then would not have come back to the living room to discover my son had turned the movie off on his own and was having a grand old time playing with my computer mouse and keyboard. I also didn’t notice that he had somehow managed to rename a photo that was on the desktop. Whew! At least he didn’t delete the hard drive or something. :-)

So there’s some of the stuff I’d never be doing, ever, never in a million years. :-) Hope you all have had great “not me” weeks and this one is better still. If you’re interested in reading other people’s “not confessions” you can visit McMamma’s site. Ta ta!

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Best Faces Week


2010
01.11

Posted in Photos | 1 Comment »

This week on I heart faces the contest is for the “best faces” photos. I happen to think this is one of the best faces out there. I love this shot of Myles when he was 5 months old. Cutie pie!!! Click the “button” on the bottom if you want to see some more amazing face photos!

DSC_9916

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Insane me


2010
01.09

Posted in About Me | No Comments »

Hi everyone! Happy Saturday! I wrote a post yesterday, but it was actually more like a rant and my ever-level-headed hubby advised me not to actually publish it. So I took his advice and didn’t and it’s probably a good thing because I may still have readers. :-) Ha! Not that any of that matters.
Today Stu and I did our first INSANITY workout. We did the “fit test” last night, and were both sore from that. Even so we dug in and got through the first intense cardio workout. I was burning myself out initially because I was trying to “keep up” with the instructor and all, and that’s just not a fair fight. I mean, those people have been through the program, know the moves and have built up speed. I have not…. yet! So I slowed down a bit and was able to keep going. It was still super intense. Even people who were doing the program on the DVD were “dropping out” of some of the circuits. Still we had fun. It’s lots of fun to do something like that together with Stuart. Keeps me going when I feel like stopping. ;-)
So, we’ll see what happens at the end of the 60 days! I was sneaking a peak at some of the other workouts and they look scary to me. Oh, and I did discover (no big surprise really) that I’m the world’s worst at push ups. :-( Blah! I’ve always hated them. I must not be built for that particular exercise, but I’m gonna keep trying. :-) Right now I’m already sore, so I can’t imagine how I’ll feel for tomorrow’s workout. I did feel really good after finishing today’s though, so that’s encouraging.
Anyway, hope you’re having a fantastic weekend! Toodle-oo!

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By the way


2010
01.07

Posted in Photos | 2 Comments »

My amazingly talented, not daunted by layers in the pixlemator program, hubby of mine, created a “button” for my Project 365 blog. It is LIME green and should appear on the Right of your screen. Really, you can’t miss it. So if you ever want to see my photo blog just click that button and like magic you will be transported. :-) Once there if you want more info on a particular photo just click it. Isn’t technology amazing? ;-)

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Four Eyes


2010
01.06

Posted in Daily Life, The boys | 2 Comments »

That’s me today. I took my contacts out last night and didn’t feel like putting a new pair in today, so I busted out the glasses. :-) I do NOT like wearing glasses. I don’t see as well, it annoys me to have something on my face, they get schmoozed WAY too easily (especially with 20 grubby fingers flailing around me all day- besides my own!) and well… I just don’t like to. Today I did though. It was the first thing Monkey #1 noticed this morning when I went into their room. “Wearin’ gasses, Mommy?” “Yes, Qade, Mommy is wearing glasses.” Then I went to get Myles out of his bed and he just kept giving me this stare like I had painted my face green or something. It was hilarious, because normally he’s very talkative while I’m getting him out of bed, but he was much to intent in figuring out what in the world was up with Mommy’s face this morning for idle conversation.
Speaking of glasses, I’m not sure I mentioned before but Qade and Myles both got sunglasses in their stockings which we opened on Christmas Eve. We took some pictures had some fun, and then *poof* Qade’s glasses were gone. I couldn’t find them anywhere, and I actually looked! I looked in all the “usual” stashing spots and even some that I thought might be new, but to no avail. I figured he must have just tossed them in the trash with some wrapping or something. Yesterday, low and behold, they turned up! The lads were messing with my pictures and books on the book shelf (naughty naughty!) and suddenly I heard Qade say, “gasses!” Sure enough he had stashed them behind one of my pictures. Glad he found them because as often as I dust we would have bought him a new pair before they were discovered! ;-) So the boys got big belly laughs out of wearing their glasses around in the house and chasing each other. :-D
Cute Myles-ism for today. I usually hum to Myles as I’m putting him to bed. Recently he has started humming back or if I’m not humming, he’ll hum to remind me I should be. So stinkin’ cute!
Cute Qade-ism today. Qade fell off the couch and apparently “hurt my sum” (thumb) but while I was comforting him and he was crying, I coughed, and he asked me through his tears, “You okay, Mom?” Awwwww…. then he asked for “ice” for his “sum” and then it was all better. :-)
Happy Wednesday night!

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To little to be a big boy


2010
01.05

Posted in Qade | 3 Comments »

I was a first born, Stuart was a first born…. how we ever got married is a cosmic mystery. ;-) Now that we have our own first born I’m noticing some things that I want to change or at least be aware of. First borns HAVE to be the guinea pigs to an extent. I had OODLES of kid experience before having my own… but it’s a whole different ball of wax when it’s your own screaming bundle of joy. All the babysitting, teaching, day care, or nannying experience in the world just doesn’t “cut it” when it finally comes time to deal with your own offspring. Don’t get me wrong, it HELPS, and I draw from those experiences often. I’m just saying it’s different.
So recently, as in today, I was thinking about my Monkey #1. I think of him as a big boy, and he is…. sort of. As a first child I understand that there are a lot of expectations put on first kids that maybe they can’t live up to. I find myself doing that with Qade somewhat. That’s one thing I want to change. I realize that he is as smart as a whip, but I can’t let the fact that he’s learning at such a rapid pace fool me into thinking that he’s capable of more. He is just 2 and a half. That’s still a baby! The experiences that he is having are still all very new. And even thought he is starting to grasp some life skills and reasoning skills doesn’t mean that he always knows how to put those to use. I need to be more gentle in guiding him in the right way than stern and disciplinary when he doesn’t “get it.”
This came to mind today after he woke up from his nap hysterical. When I went in his room he was just sitting in a heap by his little bed crying. I asked him what was wrong and to use his words to tell me, but he couldn’t. Maybe he didn’t really know what was “wrong.” Maybe he doesn’t yet understand the concepts of ‘scared’ or ‘sad’ or just plain ol’ not feeling well. So I sat on the floor with my little big guy in my lap and we just rocked together. The crying stopped, but he didn’t budge. He needed to be the baby for a few minutes, and just be with his mommy.
Don’t get me wrong. I do still strongly believe that he needs to be held accountable for what he does know. And he’s learning along with us, what works and what doesn’t.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to keep my expectations to the level of his ability. For example with our recent bought of potty training, I think rather than trying to “teach” him this new life skill, I was demanding that he do something because I thought he could. I know this will be somewhat of a struggle for me because I tend to be a “high expectations” person. :-) Still, I want to remember that my little lad is just 2, he is still learning, and to tap into his strengths and support those rather than be constantly harping on his ‘weaknesses.’ He is such a caring little boy. If I so much as sneeze or cough, he will ask, “You okay, Mommy?” And when role playing with his cow, Buford, he is very nurturing and caring and considerate. Those are strengths. Yes, he has issues with whining, and yes he needs to learn to control his reactions, but that will be an ongoing process that we’ll work on day by day. If I keep my expectations in line with his abilities I think it will alleviate unfair burden on him, and unnecessary strain on our relationship.
Just some thoughts. :-)

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Not me Monday (Tuesday Edition)


2010
01.05

Posted in Not Me Monday | No Comments »

Well, I didn’t have enough “pizzaz” yesterday to do a not me post, so today I’m playing catch up.

This week we did not go away for some R&R and time with family and forget to turn the water off even though it’s be super-duper cold here recently.
Therefore we didn’t get home to find an indoor pool in our laundry room from a TEENY WEENY hole that sprouted in a tube.
Neither was I soooo thankful that my handy-dandy-mr-fix-it hubby of mine found the “issue” very shortly and fixed the problem so that we still had both water AND hot water. :-)
Oh, and we did not leave our poor howling children stuck in their car seats after the long drive home so that we could clean out the lagoon without the help of little hands and feet. ;-)

At 3am I did not “cave in” and give my almost 15 month old a cup of milk to help him go back to sleep. Ha! Isn’t it great to be not the first child? With Qade I didn’t want to “develop a habit” of waking up for milk so if he woke up in the night I’d work with him, rock him some, and give him water. Now, I just want to get back to sleep as soon as possible myself so it works out to Myles’ advantage. ;-) Although, to be honest he rarely wakes up, but has this dreadful cold that is keeping us all hostage. So I gave him some Tylenol and a cup of milk to “wash it down.” It worked too and we all slept like the dead for the rest of the night. :-)

Another thing I have NOT been doing recently is giving my toddler a “fruit snack” that he can take to his new tent to eat so that Hubby and I can watch at least a little of a movie/show without being interrupted. ;-) Ha ha ha ha!

So anyway, those are some things I’ve not been up to lately. Unfortunately something I am up to today is MASSIVE recovery. Ya know my new years resolution post? Well, I’ve yet to start those lofty goals (except for the PHOTO one) because we’ve been scampering about the country side. :-) But I think we’re finally done with that and ready to get back to a “post-holiday” routine. Because of that I have about a ton an a half of laundry to do, and a LOT of reorganizing with all the new Christmas loot that needs an actual place. So here I go, diving in, elbows deep in dishes and stuff, but after this week we should be well on our way to normalcy. And once I can actually breathe again I’m going to start INSANITY!! Woo-Hoo! Stay tuned for THAT post… I’m sure it’ll be hysterical! ;-)

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A decade in review


2010
01.02

Posted in About Me | No Comments »

I think this may be the very first time I’ve ever payed attention to the fact that we’re entering a “new” decade. Of course the last one was totally overwhelmed by being a “new millennium” as well, and then the one before that I was still too young to care, I guess. It makes me feel kind of old to think of my life in decades, but as I was thinking over the last one there are some pretty amazing highlights! Just thought I’d share those with you!
2000
-GRADUATED from college, yay!!!!
-Taught my first teaching job, way fun in a little Christian school.
-Worked at The Wilds of the Rockies my first summer!
2001-2004
-Taught at PCA (not a “highlight” in my way of thinking, but a big learning experience)
-Continued to work summers at TWR.
-Met Stuart in 2001
-Stu and I worked the “buddy system” in 2004. :-)
2005
-MARRIED!!! To the most amazing man ever in the history of mankind! :-)
2007
-Met my baby Bubba, and discovered that being a Mommy is the best “job” in creation!
-Moved back to AZ, who would have thought?
-Started working with Camp on Wheels.
-Traveled to Canada for the first time!
2008
-Brought home my “littlest love” and have thoroughly enjoyed being a mommy of 2 rambunctious boys!!
2009
-Nothing “huge” happened this year, but more growing, learning, leaning. I believe that I’m a more balanced person than I was 10 years ago for sure. Maybe I’m a little more cynical about certain things, but I also have a greater value for having fun. :-) I have more appreciation for family time both within our little fam and our extended family.
-I’m learning to prioritize responsibility with things that I like to do.
-Investing time in interests that make me a better person and are also FUN. :-)

So there you have it. 10 years condensed. :-) Makes it seem like a much smaller chunk of time. I’m excited about this year! It’ll be interesting to see where the next turn of the decade will have us… don’t want to think about that too much… I’ll be 40!! Yikes!! ;-) So enjoy the early days of our new decade and thank God for the last 10 years He has given you. :-)

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