Missed a day

I took a day off from the laundry. Here is what happens. Today, the pile was twice as high because everyone had to clean their room before they could go to a birthday party.

Trust dusty machines. I have had a motor replaced. I asked how long these things last. Repair man says about 7 years and how old is the machine. Well, not that old but I think it has done 7 years worth of work anyway.

Apron Antics

Time to get dressed. Off go the jammies. On go the.... Home Depot aprons. Get the camera.

Let's go to the beach

Last Sunday, Bob suggested that we go to the beach. I thought it might be too cold. I am glad I was wrong. What a beautiful day. The kids love the beach. Something about wide open spaces just allows everyone to relax, especially important with some of our sensory sensitive kids. My camera was at a photo shoot in Concord so I had to rely on the old point and shoot. Wow, I am so spoiled. Then the batteries died. Oh well. We will just have to go again soon.
I love this little boy!
Kloey got ahold of the camera. This is what she takes pictures of.

This was also our first foray out of town altogether in the "Big Mac". It was a revelation to me about traveling together when, after our two mile walk down the beach and back, it took 25 minutes to get everyone loaded back into the car. Diapers, bathroom runs, change pants, sandy shoes, baby equipment, juice box, crackers, another diaper, no you cannot sit there. Okay, let's go home. Stop at grocery store and buy a big bag of M&M's as a surprise. It worked. I got a "good mom" award that day.

Indulgence

I indulge. Often. If it can't be chocolate or nacho chips, then it has to be popcorn. And just to prove the sheer decadence of my indulgence, here is the proof.
This is how much butter I use. Yes, an artery clogging amount. All for me. It must be in liquid form. One minute takes care of it quite nicely.
Pour in a swirly fashion. Watch out, the bowl is hot.
A little salt. Very little. Not every time.
I cannot resist this.
Bliss. It was sheer bliss.

I Littered

In the span of seven days......

1) 10 out of the 11 people in our family threw up (mostly within a 72 hour period). Let's just say we will not be having guacamole, chicken noodle soup, or red lasagne anytime soon.

2) We received a new baby into our home for however long she needs us.

3) Check engine lights are on in 2 of 4 cars.

4) I littered.

Here is the proof exactly two weeks later. We found the spot and the evidence was still there. See for yourself.





We were on our way home from bowling. Cora said she didn't feel very well. I said okay, come sit in the front seat. Here is a grocery bag. Oh shoot, it has a hole in it. Well, let me tie it up so at least we have something. Oh dear, there she goes. Most of it goes in the bag. I pull the van over and shove her head out the door. Most of it gets outside..... I throw the bag into the snowbank. I use baby wipes to clean Cora up. I throw the baby wipes into the snowbank. I silently ask for forgiveness and speed away, leaving the unsightly mess in the snowbank. I could not possibly take the chance of upsetting the constitutions of the other 5 passengers in the already queasy car.

So two weeks later, we scanned the side of the road for the evidence. Shoot, we found it. I rolled down the window to take a picture and they all groaned and said it smelled like puke. That's imagination for you. Two weeks and 5 inches of rain later along with a windstorm that knocked out power to 300,000 people. But they could still smell the smell. I think we did not need to relive that.

And then......I drove away again.

Everything Ends Up in the Kitchen Sink

Bath time. The kitchen sink is as good a place as any for a 14 pounder. She is a butterball but much cuter than a turkey. She doesn't seem to mind the water.




There really is nothing like the smell of a clean baby!

Time Out Versus Power Struggle

Warning! Pictures of miserably sad child. No one was harmed in the making of this blog post.
Remember that practice time-out? Guess what? Practice makes perfect. Micah is having a little trouble with a certain behavior that is requiring a little intervention. A recent incident landed him in a time out until he could say "sorry" to his brother. This simple technique turned into an unfortunate power struggle because this little guy is standing up on the inside!
The silver lining is that I realized there is full comprehension of the sin and the consequence. Poor little guy. Sometimes learning the hard way is no fun. After the making of this blog post, there were lots of hugs and kisses and one mumbled "sorry" by a semi-contrite little man.

Truck Brigade

Trucks keep appearing at our house. Usually on Friday nights. This isn't all of them. I think someone is appeasing his "inner child." I love that. It is boy heaven. Vroom, Vroom.....

Macho Man

The pictures tell the story. I love my camera. Someday I will learn how to use it. I also love my Macho Man. It is a balmy 36 degrees today. He is riding on a broken little kids snow scooter in the front yard.
This makes me think of riding a wild bronc. Either that or surfing. Wonder what he was thinking.
I think he was focused on the "jump."
Cool! Waiting for the little cohort to get out of the way.
Here he is. Playing on the jump.
Okay, coast is clear.Double twist with a......
touchdown and a......
Splat! Ohhhhhhhh........
I'm thinking there is a fine line between reporting the doings and having a little fun at my Macho Man's expense.

Feed Thyself!

Micah is now 19 months and has caught on to using silverware, well almost! The problem with having two boys exactly 12 months apart is that it is impossible NOT to compare milestones because I can actually remember within a year just about everything Trey did. Don't ask me when anybody else walked....it was average. Although Jerrod didn't get his first tooth until 13 months. I digress....Micah is slower than Trey was with the fine motor skills so I am excited that he is finally using his utensils appropriately, i.e. putting food where it belongs versus banging the table and throwing them around the room.
Sorry, blurry pictures but I am working on my camera skills. The expression was right on.
This was staged, so not as cute but still effective.
When the fork gets old, revert to what has worked all along. Caveman techniques.
"Hey, it works. I'm not starving."
Micah is doing very well drinking out of a big boy cup. We are so proud.
Guess who refuses to be left out?
A bigger cup for a bigger boy!Independence is a wonderful thing.