Wednesday, March 31, 2010

My Maria

I just had to post this beautiful picture of Maria.  She was goofing around on the floor in our kitchen, crawling under the chairs.  I snapped a few pics of her playing, so innocently.  I loved this one because the light hit her baby blues so perfectly! (And she actually looked at the camera, which doesn't happen very often)

Wordless Wednesday


                     Do I even need to point out the table??? Hmmmm!


I feel the need to explain a little on this one.  We do not have a fenced in backyard so we put the Devon, our dog, out on a tether when she has to go potty. (Hoosier, I know!) Anyway, she was laying on the porch for about an hour when I noticed something.  Can you see it?  The other end of the tether isn't connected.  Good to know she isn't going anywhere!

The scary thing is, I know I reconnected it yesterday after Gerry mowed the lawn.  He didn't unhook it which means someone actually walked up and unhooked it...why?  Just to be mean?  A cruel joke?  Sure she stayed on the porch during this time, but what I wonder what would've happened if she would have seen a cat or another animal?  She would've gone after it and possibly gotten hit by a car.  Now I make sure to check it every time!!!!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Friday Night Leftovers





Friday Night Leftovers is a great way to get all your random thoughts from the week out of your head. Play Along with Danifred at Sippy Cups are Not For Starbucks.  It's fun!
  • Loving thats the kids are sleeping in until 7:00 am lately.
  • Hating that it is totally messing up their naps.  Maria is not tired enough around 1:00 to take a nap.  I have a really hard time getting her to take a nap at all these days.  I do make her lay down for at least an hour, and some days she'll fall asleep.  Other days she jumps on her bed and sings the whole time.
  • I really need to get back to working out again.  We joined the YMCA at the end of February and I was going 3 times a week.  It felt great to exercise again and it was nice to have a little break from the kids during the day.  But then Naomi had a runny nose for a while and I didn't want the nice child care ladies to have to deal with it.  Then it all just went down hill from there.  I really do need to make it a priority again. Karen's wedding is right around the corner (well...around the corner as in June 2011) I'd like to at least have a non-flabby back, arms and shoulders for the short, strapless, black dress I'll be wearing.  I'm not asking for "Linda Hamilton in the Terminator 2 arms".  I just don't want flab.  That's not too much to ask, is it?
  • So, we're having a deck built.  We just signed the contract with the construction company.  We asked them if it can be completed by Naomi's 1st Birthday party (Which is May 8th). "Sure!" they tell us.  "We have another project ahead of yours, but I'm sure we'll be able to do it."  Are we insane?  It reminds me a lot of this time last year when we decided in mid February to have part of our basement finished.  We asked that company if they could have it finished by May 8th. (which was the day I was having a C-Section with Naomi) Coming home with a new baby and having men working in your basement just didn't sound appealing to me.  They told us it could be done, and for the most part, it was. But the process was very stressful.  We'd really like the deck to be completed so we can actually use it at her party.  We don't have a very big house so the extra space would be great.  For Maria's first birthday party we actually had 2 parties (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) for each side of the family.  Never doing that again!  It was crazy and stressful!  So, cross your fingers that the weather hold up and our deck will be completed by May 8!!!
  • Dear Nickelodeon - I freakin' love Ni Hao, Kai Lan.  It's a great show.  My daughter loves it too!  She's learning so many new words in Chinese.  Some we know, some we don't.  If you haven't already, can you please provide a page on your website for all the words and phrases the characters say?  She walks around the house, literally, speaking a foreign language, and we'd like to know what she is saying. My husband thinks it's so great, he wants to enroll her in Chinese language lessons. (seriously?...she's 2) 
  • We thought we'd just go all out and totally submerge her in Asian culture- we've also discussed getting Maria involved in some sort of Martial Arts lessons.  (they offer them at the Y)  Either Tae Kwon Do, or Youn Wha Ryu (whatever that is).  Since she loves to hit and kick (really, really loves it) we thought it would be good to foster that! (ha) I also heard it's great for discipline. Does anyone who reads this have little kids or know little kids that have taken some kind of Martial Arts lessons?  I need some advice on this topic!
  • There are so many things that we need to do before Naomi's party.  I still need to make the invitations and get them out in the mail, decide on the menu, get new mulch for the front of the front of the house, plant flowers, plant 2 new bushes, clean the house, power wash the house, buy decorations...oh and have a deck built!  ahhh!  I'm feeling stressed and very limited on time!
  • This is my 100th Post!  Yeah for Blogging!!!!

Bring on the weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a good one!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

A Very Productive Day

Yesterday was a great day!  There were a lot of things on my "to do" list and I wasn't quite sure I was going to get it all done.  But I did.

I packed up the kids and was pulling out of the driveway at 10:00 am.  We headed up to the mall to get Maria some new tennis shoes.  She was crabbing every time I put her shoes on so I figured it was time for new ones.  The last pair we bought her was in September when she started pre-school.  I think tennis shoes that hold up for 6 months on a toddler are pretty good, so I was hoping to find the same brand at a decent price.

Things seem so much easier when I leave the house with both kids now.  The fact that I am leaving the house at all is proof of that.  Maria has been such a joy to take out.  Six months ago, all she did was run away.  She hated the stroller and would scream the whole time she was in it.  (Good thing we spent so much money on that Graco double stroller when Naomi was born...) Maria wouldn't stay by me, she didn't want to hold my hand...it was insane.  I refused to take her to any store.  Even the park was hard because she would run away.  It's hard to chase down a 2 year old in a crowd of children while pushing a stroller, as well.  But lately, she just seems to understand that she has to stay by me.  She even shows fear of certain things...like cars.  Which is a good thing.  She understands that "Cars will hit you" if you get in their way.  When I take her to the grocery store or Wal-Mart, she's even a little afraid of the other shopping carts. (Which can sometimes be just as dangerous as cars) She always asks if she can "walk like a big girl" when I get her out of the van.  She knows she has to hold my hand otherwise she'll have to go in the stroller.  So, she does a pretty good job.

Yesterday was no exception.  As we walked through the mall to get to the shoe store, we saw the Easter Bunny down on the lower level.  I tried to point him out to Maria, but it broke my heart because I knew she couldn't see him.  She pointed out some flowers and some other decorations.  When I asked her to wave to the bunny, she waved in the wrong direction.  God love her.  (Obviously, she doesn't wear her glasses out in public)

We picked out some cute little tennis shoes and headed towards the Easter Bunny so I could get sucked into spending WAY too much money for pictures.  Their was no line, in fact, the Bunny was up walking around waving to kids walking by.  To my surprise, Maria walked right up to the Bunny and gave her a high 5.  Naomi was waving like crazy. Since they both seemed pretty happy with the giant rabbit, I gave in and let them take the picture.  Maria did not want to sit on her lap, but she was happy to stand in front of the bunny. I paid $17 for 2 3x5s.  But, it turned out to be a great picture.  (even though the color was way off.  The girls are wearing teal, not royal blue)




After pictures, we needed to eat lunch so I went to Qdoba in the mall.  I was able to wheel the giant bus stroller into the restaurant and find a table where I could keep all our stuff close by.  Lunch was a success and I was very proud that I was able to take both kids out to lunch...ALL BY MYSELF.  Who would've thought???

The last thing on my list was Wal-Mart.  (boo)  I had to get a few things and I promised Gerry I would get something for dinner for at least the next 2 nights so he wouldn't have to stop on his way home for work.

I pulled in, threw both kids in the giant stroller, handed Maria her snack cup full of goldfish to distract her enough from wanting to walk on her own.  Poor Naomi had been sleeping on the ride from the mall to Wal-Mart and I reclined the stroller for her, hoping she would just go back to sleep...no such luck!

All 3 of us were exhausted when we got home.  Thankfully, both kids napped and I was able to watch American Idol from the night before.  It's a lot of work to leave the house...but it's so nice to get them out, especially since the weather is so nice. Now that I am just getting used to the idea of getting out more because Maria is much easier...Naomi is not that far away from the dreaded age of craziness!  I know I don't have long before she's walking and demanding her independence so I'm going to enjoy it while I can!!!!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

I've seen Wordless Wednesday done many times before by many different people, so I'm not exactly sure who started it or who to give the credit to.  But I'm playing along this week!



Monday, March 22, 2010

Yo Gabba Gabba!






Yes...I know you are all jealous!  Sunday we went to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live at the Fox!  It was awesome!  We had great seats and the kids loved it!  Naomi danced in my lap the whole time! After a brief intermission, the Gabba characters all entered the theater from the back and came down the isles.  We were sitting on the end and it just so happened that Toodee came down our isle. (She is Maria's favorite!)  Maria even got to give her a high five!

After an evening full of balloons, bubbles, music and dancing...the girls were exhausted! (we were, too!)  I want to give a special shout out to my bro, Jeff, who was able to hook us up with amazing seats! Thanks!

Here are some pics of our fun filled evening!

                                 Maria's first time at the Fox!





                           Naomi and her dad.
                  


 

Sporting the DJ Lance Glasses!  
(St. Louis is his hometown!)




Maria & Gerry having a blast!

                                          
                                 Dancey dance!
                                                            
                                                    Brobee and Plex

                                                                    






    Biz's Beat of the Day  (yes...it was actually him)

                              Watching in awe!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Picture Post! (Magic House and Suson Park)

I wanted to post some of the pics I took from this past week. Last Sunday night, Maria's pre-school hosted a night at the Magic House. They rented the whole place out, which was really cool because it wasn't nearly as crowded as it is during the day. Maria had a great time. I think it was a little overwhelming for her because there was so much to see and do...it looked like she was just taking it all in!


















Last Thursday, the weather was awesome so I packed the kids up and went to Suson Park. All the animals were out frolicking around. Maria and Naomi loved the mini-horses. Naomi was just giggling at them the entire time! Then we went to the playground and had a great time there, too! Maria loved the slides and I could hardly get her out of the swing! Naomi just watched everybody run around from her stroller. She was pretty tired but seemed to enjoy the fresh air!









Friday, March 12, 2010

Friday Night Leftovers





Okay, tonight's the night I will finally play along with Sippy Cups and Unexplained X2.

Friday Night Leftovers is a great way to get everything out that's left over from the week. It's also a great way to vent about a topic without dedicating an entire blog post to it.

- Maria hasn't napped in 2 days. I know she will be 3 in July, but I am NOT ready for her to stop napping! I will go crazy. I even took them to the park yesterday so they could get some fresh air and some much needed Vitamin D. Afterwards, she sat in her bed singing "Party in the USA" and Fresh Beat band songs for almost 2 hours. I hope she sleeps today!

- Is it wrong to yell at other people's kids? Today we went to open gym at the YMCA and I can't believe the lack of responsibility some mothers have when they bring their kids to something like this. The rule clearly states that kids participating need to be 6 and under. I know there were several kids there today that were not 6 or under. I get that your kids are probably on spring break...either pay $5 and take them to Monkey Joe's or get up off your butt and keep your kids under control. Along with Maria and Naomi, there were so many little bitty kids in danger of getting trampled on by these older and rougher big kids. I did yell at a few of them to wait their turn in line for the trampoline. I also told 2 boys to slow down. I swear some of the mom's don't even care that I'm yelling at their kids...so long as they don't have to do it. Drives me CRAZY!

- I am happy to announce that our hoosier neighbors down the street have finally put their Christmas decorations away! It wouldn't have bothered me quite as much, except they put huge white reindeer in their front yard in mid-November which soon toppled over...do you think they picked them up? Nope. They stayed face down until after Christmas. The reindeer, along with mismatched lights and trashy garland strewn about the entire front yard, made for a definite eye sore. After Christmas, they went out of their way to pick up the reindeer and prop them against the front of the house. Nice. But they really crossed the line when they put up Easter decorations...and still had the reindeer leaning against their house. Are you kidding me? The pink bunnies and the white reindeer coexisted on their front yard until a few days ago when they decided it was time to put the reindeer away.

- What is up with American Idol this year? The guys seem much better than the girls, but over all, they suck! I was excited about Ellen but I am very disappointed this season.

- I love my husband dearly, but do you think he could change a poopy diaper using less than 50 wipes? I'm not kidding. Every time he changes poop (cloth diaper or not) he goes through half a pack of wipes. I think it's gotten worse since we've had a second child. And the noises he makes when he opens the diaper...you'd think there was 6 day old road kill in there. Once, after he changed a poopy cloth diaper he actually said to me "If you just want to throw that whole diaper away instead of washing it out, I will totally understand." Throw it away? That cloth diaper costs $17.95 and you want me to throw it away? He never cleans out the cloth diapers. He bundles them up and sets them aside so I can do it later. How nice of him.

- I have a really hard time keeping track of Naomi's socks. She takes them off all the time and I can never find them. I am really excited because I found a product that actually keeps your kids socks on. They are called "Sock-Ons" www.sockons.co.uk. They fit right over the top of your baby's socks. They come in a bunch of colors and designs. The good thing about them is they really do work. The bad thing is that Naomi screams in her car seat because she is so desperately trying to pull them off and she can't.

- Maria actually introduced herself to the horses at the park yesterday. If that wasn't funny enough, she introduced Naomi and me as well. "Hi. I"m Maria. This is Naomi and this is Mommy." I about died laughing.

- Update on the nap situation: as I am typing this, Maria is sound asleep. However, Naomi is wide awake. So much for me getting a nap today!


I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Angel Eyes

Maria finally got her new glasses. We picked them up Wednesday night. She didn't want to try them on for the lady at the optical store, but when we got home she seemed more interested in them. Gerry took his contacts out right away and put his glasses on to show her it was "fun". She let me put them on her and watched TV (on the couch) for a little while. She scanned the room a few times and was looking at all the pictures on the wall. It was like she was seeing them for the first time.

She has worn them a little at a time for the past few days. She had them on while we read bedtime stories last night and was pointing things out in certain books that we have read a thousand times before. I guess she had never noticed them.

I think it's going to be a work in progress. But at least she is showing an interest in them.

I think they make her look so old!!!



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Naomi is 10 Months Old!!!


Ten months have come and gone with Naomi in our lives. Ten months of snuggles, of smiles, of giggles and love! She is growing into such a kid already. It's kind of sad in a way. Of course I want her to grow big and strong and develop into a healthy toddler and then, eventually, a healthy adult. But a part of me wants her to stay little. Part of me wants to see her smile with only 2 little bottom teeth, forever. Naomi will be 1 in 2 months. I remember the day Maria turned 1. From that day until now has flown by and now Maria is a full fledged kid. Is it wrong for me to want Naomi to just be a baby for a little while longer? Especially since she might be our last one???? My heart aches just thinking about it.


But today I will celebrate! My baby girl is wearing 12 month clothes (they are big in the waist/body but fit just right in the length.) Sometimes she eats like a grown man during mealtimes (although she's still a little stinker when it comes to the bottle). She is mimicking several words, waving hello and bye bye, blowing kisses, giving kisses (watch out though, she likes to use her tongue!) she can point to her nose when asked and she can point to someone else's nose, too. My favorite thing she attempts is making a monkey sound and then cracking up when I do it! (need to get a video of that!) She is pulling up on all the furniture and falls quite often. She doesn't like to wear socks and HATES to have a bib on.

Here are a few pics I took of her recently:





Eating an Avocado! (Yes...she did her hair all by herself!!)




I saved the best for last! YES! Naomi is officially crawling. She has been for a few weeks. I haven't been able to get a video of it until today!Sorry it's a little dark. So, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you....Naomi Crawling!!!! (notice I had to bait her with the remote, again! And of course Maria had to get in on the action, as well!)
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