I Have News Too!

Hi there! My mommy was really tired when she posted my sister's news about her new big bed, etc... Who can blame her? I am tired too because my big sis kept everybody up last night until about 3am. So, now that mommy is refreshed she can give a good update on what's going on in my pictures here. Above, you will see me standing behind one of our "walk along" toys. I'm trying really hard to walk with it, but I am really top heavy and fall down a lot!
Yesterday I fell on my head or bumped it into something about 4 times in an hour, but ramming my head into the door frame was the icing on the cake. Mom and dad called it a "goose-egg" but I think they are talking about that bump on my forehead above my left eye. It's bigger than it looks in the pictures, and now there is a cool blue and purple bruise there, but it hurt really bad. I even cried...
"Awwww, mom! Do you have to take a picture right now?"
This last picture doesn't even show how big it really got because my massive head continued to swell up, but I wouldn't hold still for anymore pictures...I've got places to crawl to and mischief to make...

P.S. If you want to know more about the pictures in my sister's recent update read on. She is a big girl now, that's what everybody keeps saying, so mommy and daddy went to get her a big bed yesterday. She got a cool Dora comforter and a snazzy bed rail. I can't wait until I get a big bed...

Joslynn likes to dance, and on Sunday she was being very silly and dancing like a maniac so mommy took some pictures of her showin' her moves.

My sister also likes to work out with mommy and daddy when they are in the workout room. She likes to walk on the treadmill, do pull ups or use the cool stretchy bands. She is pretty strong, but she better watch out in a month or so when I am able to chase after her...I'm not puttying up with any more of her bossiness.

Joslynn's News

Joslynn got a "big girl bed" with Dora on her comforter. She was a dancin' maniac and was working out with daddy. I'd write more but I am busy praying that tonight in the Dora bed goes better than last night...

My new bed

Under The Couch (Part 2)

It's been a while since I dug out all the junk from Under The Couch. When I was doing my super-cleaning yesterday here's what I found:

• 1 chew toy
• 1 Elmo magnet
• 1 Tupperware lid
• 1 play spoon
• 1 real spoon
• Magnetic letters: V, I & D
• 1 hot dog...thank God it was a play one
  
• 1 Cheerio...this one was real
  
• 3 potato chips...again, more play food
  
• 9 books

It's quite interesting what collects under there...

What I Accomplished Yesterday

I got a LOT done yesterday. It always feels good to share your accomplishments, my list is below. Why didn't I blog about it yesterday? That's the one thing I didn't do...

1. Got dressed and had breakfast
2. Changed diapers, fed kids, got them dressed and off to daycare
   
3. Exercised for an hour
4. Showered
5. Started first load of laundry
6. Cleaned out the frig
7. Loaded dishwasher and ran it
   
8. Picked up toys
9. Vacuumed entire upstairs including moving all furniture except for dressers and TV armoire.
10. Started second load of laundry
    
11. Shampooed all rugs in upstairs (my attempt to "de-Maynie" the house)
12. Started third load of laundry
13. Ate lunch
14. Scrubbed kitchen floor (on my hands and knees)
15. Scrubbed bathroom floor
    
16. Showered again
17. Started fourth load of laundry
18. Went to Walmart for more cream for one of the itchy twins.
19. Went to Cashwise for groceries
20. Unloaded groceries
21. Picked up kids at daycare
22. Played with kids
23. Ate supper
24. Bathed the itchy twins
25. Played with kids some more
    
26. Played volleyball
27. Showered
28. Went to bed
    

Two-Kid Day

People ask us all the time, "Are you going to have more kids?" or "Do you want more children?" or from pushy-er people, "When are you going to have more?" While these are questions that have complicated answers, today I had a simple one. Today is just a two-kid kind of day.

It started off with a 4:50am wakeup courtesy of our own rooster: Joslynn. I blogged earlier about the need for sleep, so this post should come as no big surprise. After doing some stuff around the house, I brought Jack to the Surgical Center for his ear tube surgery. Yes, that is both of our children now, within the course of a month. Four ears and $1100 (after insurance) later, we better not have any more ear issues!

All day long Joslynn was super whiny; throwing fits and crying for no reason seemed to be her calling card today. Jackson cries when Joslynn cries because maybe he wants to be like her, or maybe he is scared when she cries; either way, they are both crying, a lot.

Bath time was the icing on the cake. We have a specific bath regimen for the itchy twins (since I just returned from the dermatologist with the rooster yesterday). So, to give you some background on the bath situation: Joslynn is in the phase of hating bath time and cries and screams the whole time. Sounds like fun huh? Yeah, if you have any help on this one, we could use it. Some more background...Jackson has a hard time with #2 so he bears down and pushes and grunts really hard and his face turns red so you know when he is trying to go...

Okay, back to the original story. To save on time, I thought, 'let's put the kids in the tub together.' About 3 minutes into the bath, Jackson starts doing his "poop face." This is already after we had to clean out the tub once because he was messy when Josh took his clothes off and didn't realize that there was #2 on his toushy. So, I quickly grab the little guy and wonder, 'what do I do with him?' I'll set him on the potty chair. So I set the naked little man on the little potty chair where he does his business as Joslynn is screaming bloody murder. Fast forward another 15 minutes and Joslynn is still fighting the good fight whether it is physical or just crying because she doesn't want to have anything to do with bath time, brushing hair, putting on lotion, etc...

Play time after baths was okay, but Joslynn persisted to take each toy away from Jackson and/or cry for no apparent reason. Bedtime went fairly smooth...although she is crying in her crib for the second time already tonight; its 11:37pm.

Will she go back to sleep okay? Will she wake up her brother?....

I couldn't love anything on this planet more than I do my children and bless their sweet little hearts, but this is why today has been a two-kid kind of day. I don't know if we are going to have any more children or not, I guess only time will tell, but for now two is okay.

Late Weekend Post

The pictures will show you:
-This weekend we ventured out to the Dam Festival in Little Falls.
-Joslynn liked the parade a lot.
-She also enjoyed the mini petting zoo.
-The kids got a new (old) wagon from grandma and grandpa.
-Both of them LOVE ice cream!

Help! We need some sleep!

How do you convince a two year old to go back to bed at 4:55am? Joslynn has been getting up at that time lately, not like it is any different than normal, but seriously child! We need some sleep! I was an idiot setting my alarm last night for 5:45 am thinking that I might actually "sleep in" until the alarm went off, since I have an appointment early today with Jackson.

Here's our dilemma:

1. The kids share a room, so if you let Joslynn cry in her crib she will scream until she wakes up Jackson who likes to sleep in in the morning.
2. She is too young to sleep downstairs in her own room.
3. We are not going to let her stay up any later because she has a bedtime of 8pm which gets stretched many times closer to 8:30. Even when she stays up later, she is up at the same time.
4. She takes one nap a day in the afternoon.
5. She's running around constantly with her 10 second attention span so you'd think that she is tired.

For a while, we just said, 'she's an early riser, I guess we'll have to live with that' but now we just need some sleep. Any suggestions from those with little ones?

Moms don't get breaks...

Even though I was going out for the evening with a friend of mine, I was still a mom the whole time. In fact, before I went out I precooked dinner for Josh and the kids so that it would be less chaotic for him alone. Then, just as we were leaving, I could see that Joslynn was possibly going to cry and throw a fit upon my departure, so I thought maybe if I helped warm up dinner and get her in "food" mode that she would be distracted enough to not make a big deal of my leaving. So, I quickly got kids in their seat and highchair and got food rollin' in the microwave, pacified Jack with some finger foods for a minute or two, got milk sipees out and waved goodbye from the foyer. No crying...that's a good sign!

My friend and I went to Mongo's for dinner. Mmmm...I LOVE Mongo's! I think I could eat there everyday if I had the time and money. Over dinner we discussed mostly mom stuff, since my friend is expecting her first baby this fall.

After dinner we proceeded to the mall to search for some gifts and essentials. I was searching for father's day stuff and she was looking for birthday and bridal gifts. My shopping trip was much more successful than hers. I found cards for my dad, Josh's dad and also some stuff for Josh (which I can't elaborate on until after Sunday.)

After roaming the mall for a while we left and headed to Cash Wise because I knew that Joslynn had like two drops of milk left. God bless my friend for being so easy going. We walked in to get milk and left with half a cart full of groceries. As we walked through the juice aisle, she said, "It's amazing, even though you aren't with the kids, you are still in 'mom mode.'" I replied with, "As a mom you will have a constant tally in your head of how many diapers, wipes, formula, and other essentials you have in the house." We finished our shopping and headed for home.

After this "night out" I realized a few things:

1. My friend is awesome for several reasons. Not only is she patient and understanding, but the fact that she appreciated my 'mom mode' reinforces the fact that she is going to be a great mom herself. This friend is also the kind of friend that you can still have a good time with when you are doing ordinary things like shopping for bras or strolling through the grocery store. I love her!
2. My "night out" was a nice break from being a mom, even though moms really don't get breaks...

All moms out there...I salute you.

Reasons Why I Love My Dyson

Oh, Mr. Dyson, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. Cat hair
2. People hair
3. Dust bunnies
   
4. I hate sweeping
5. more cat hair
6. Rice
7. Sand
8. Finely shredded cheese...everywhere!
9. Crumbs, crumbs and more crumbs

...and my final reason for loving my Dyson so much...

10. When you are having a Goldie Hawn, Overboard moment, it works great for vacuuming off the table (minus the banana peel).

Goodbye to a fuzzy friend

A bittersweet end to a good friendship has come today. Maynard, or "Maynie" as we call him, our cat, has gone to his new home today. We recently found out that Jackson is allergic to cats so we knew that we would have to find him a new home. He really is a nice kitty. He likes to be by you, so whatever room you are in, he tends to follow. He sleeps at the foot of the bed, kind of like a puppy. Joslynn loves him and Jackson does too, even though he can't touch him. He's been a great companion for the past 5 years and I am very sad to see him go. I am hoping that his new "mama" will love him and give him a lot of attention.

The sad part is...I am losing my pet of 5 years. He always seems to know when I am sad and need somebody. Joslynn will miss him, and I think it will be hard for her to understand that he is gone. Another sad thing is that my children don't have a pet either. I think that children, (and all people) really benefit from having an animal around. I am sad that they no longer have that.

On the bright side, my son will no longer be bombarded by cat hair (nor will we), but his reason is more of an issue since he is allergic. Also, I hope that Maynie can bring joy to an old lady and her grandchildren just as he has done for us. Goodbye fuzzy-pants!

2 weeks down...10 to go

One of my biggest goals for the summer is to start and finish my P90X workout videos that I have. If you have even been bored flipping the channels, you may have seen it on an infomercial. There is this guy, who looks like a Ken doll, his name is Tony Horton. He's awesome. Anyway...I wanted the workout program after Joslynn was born and actually got through 3 1/2 weeks of it until I found out I was pregnant with Jackson (no wonder I was draggin' ass.) I figured that if I want to do the full 12 weeks, now would be the time to start since it takes at least one hour a day, 6 days a week for the workouts. Lord knows that I don't have that much time during the school year; its hard enough during the summer! I am officially done with two weeks; wish me luck on my next 10 weeks!

Four years and counting...

Today is Josh and my 4th wedding anniversary. My how the time flies. Let's take a peek back (literally) four years...=It rained on our wedding day...supposedly that is good luck...
Because of the rain, all of our pictures are inside...
Our friends and family still tell us that is was the most fun they've ever had at a wedding...
After four years with this man, he's still the one I'm saving all my dances for...

Update From the Man On the Move

Hi everyone! It's me again. I have been doing more and more lately, so I have some things to update you on.As you can probably see from the pictures, I have quite a few chompers now. I have two on the bottom and two coming through on the top. I have about 4 others that want to break through any second. Man, that hurts! It does cause me to drool like a St. Bernard though...

About a week ago I decided it would be a good time to do some really cute stuff, so I revealed some new tricks all on the same day. First, I waved "hello/bye-bye" on my own. I then went on to do an incredibly cute 'fishy face' and to top it all off, I finally started to crawl! I know, I know...better late than never! It's amazing how much happier I am now that I can get around and grab my own toys. I found the book cabinet in the dining room. I even opened the door by myself! Mommy gave me an "Uh-oh" look when she saw me do that.I like to throw my sippee cup on the floor and make a mischievous face after I do it. I know how cute I am, so I think I can push my luck a little...

My sister has a new favorite thing...watering the plants and the lawn. She too likes to push her luck by "accidentally" spraying mommy or daddy. We think its hilarious!
My sister has a profound love for black olives. She thinks it's especially funny when they are on her fingers like an alien. I can't wait until I am big like her and get to do fun stuff with my food.

Mommy and daddy are done with having students for the summer, but I know that they are going to be busy. Both of them are going to be taking graduate classes and doing lots of things related to work to keep up with all of the demands that their jobs throw at them. Mommy is planning to start her Master's in the fall, so she is trying to get ready for that. Daddy just finished his, so he is really happy about that.

I think I overheard them talking about some fun things that they wanted to do this summer like: take us to the zoo, the splash park, and just play outside in our sandbox and little pool. Maybe we can go to grammy and grampy's house and swing some more. I like that.We are still looking for a good home for Maynie, so if you know anyone who needs a very nice kitty, please call my mommy. He makes me really itchy, so I am not supposed to touch him; he's so cute though, that I want to grab onto him and feel his fuzzies.

We have to go to the doctor again soon. The doc has to check out my ears because I have owies in there that need to be fixed by putting tubes in, just like my sister.

Mommy and daddy are playing in a sand volleyball league on Wednesday nights, so that may make it difficult to get to some of the BBQ leagues that they wanted to go to...so we'll have to see if we go to some other ones.

Mommy and daddy celebrate their four year wedding anniversary next week, so I think they might be going on a date while my grammy babysits my sister and I. We like it when grammy and grampy come over. Mommy and daddy already got eachother their anniversary presents: they are going to a concert in July. It is the first concert that my mommy will ever go to. She is really excited because one of her favorite singers will be there. I'm glad that they will have fun, but I think that I will miss them that day.

This summer will be a fun one, because its really my first full summer since I was only born last year...which means I get a birthday party very soon! I'm so excited! My sister's party was super fun, so I can't wait to see what mommy and daddy plan for me.

I better go and take my nappy now, so I'll update you again soon!

Luau Girl & Superman

Luau Girl: "So, did you have a good time last night, Superman?"

Superman: "Yes, I did. How about you?"

Luau Girl: "I did! I didn't have to work very hard because my person was drinking some liquids that were in a BIG glass. I didn't want to upset her by having some of her beverage overflow and be wasted, so I just hung out on one of the tables."

Superman: "Me too. I got to kick back and watch the party from a distance. My person was also drinking from a BIG glass, and sometimes, a very small one that was only one swallow...I wonder what that was all about?"
Luau Girl: "I'm so glad that we got to get out and do some celebrating. It was long overdue."

Superman: "I agree; our people needed a good night out on the town. I think that they had a really good time. Your person had some fun dancing and visiting with her co-workers and friends. I saw her shakin' her money maker on the dance floor...she's got some nice moves!"

Luau Girl: "Yeah, she does like to get her groove on. I saw your guy visiting with some of the other people. He seems like he was having fun visiting, and I even saw him doing some shooting! Good thing that was only a play shotgun...(no police involvement tonight!)"

Superman: "I think one of the ditzy blonde bartenders confused me with you and put your person's drink inside of me...so I was happy to help out, but I hope I didn't barge in on your territory."

Luau Girl: "No problem whatsoever. I'm glad that you were there for her. I was able to give her some water at the end of the night to make sure she had enough of the 'good' fluids so she didn't feel sick the next day."

Superman: "Man, we really gotta look out for those people don't we?"

Luau Girl: "Yeah, if we don't....who will?"

Superman: "So, maybe I'll see you at the next party? I'd like to hang out again."

Luau Girl: "I'll be there."

Is It Really So Hard?

Is it really so hard to say "Thank you"???

Over the weekend I was at Sam's club and thought to myself...'I should get a big bag of mini-treats for my students. It will be a good way to get them to participate at the end of class on Monday and Tuesday as we wind ourselves down with our last lab.'

I happily checked out with my other items and looked forward to sharing the goodies with my students.

Monday came: Students participated well, but I don't really remember a "Thank you" standing out in my memory. That's sad...

Tuesday came: My second class of the day had a few students in it who were so ungrateful that they had the gall to argue with me as to why it was "unfair" that they didn't get more!!! That's REALLY sad, and incredibly infuriating! On the bright side, I had 4 students say "thank you." Would you believe that 3 were boys, 1 was a girl; 2 were special education students, with one of them being EBD! But again, only four?!? Again, sad...

I just felt defeated at the end of class. The sense of entitlement that some people have is appalling. I didn't realize when I came to work this morning that I owed so many people so much.