Out of Control

Because the baskets were just too easy right?? I blame the chalk. I thought I could just do a basket of pinwheels and a basket for marshmallow kbobs. Perfect right? Pick one each on your way out the door. So easy. But then.... Then I saw the chalk. They needed the chalk. But I couldn't do a bag and just put chalk in it. So then there were bubbles. And Annie's bunnies. We love Annie's bunnies. And what's Easter without Jelly Beans?? And the requisite chocolate bunny. I am fairly certain that it can't be Easter without a chocolate bunny. Did I mention that I just might have gotten a tiny bit carried away? And a tad bit over budget... But look at how cute they turned out. I think it was worth it...

In need of a 12 step program.

I am fairly certain I should be looking for a 12 step program. I just can't seem to stop. Saw these owls at Walmart night before last. Picked up the kit last week because I had to have that owl. Knew it would be a perfect match. And what teacher wouldn't want to get one of these?

Glutton

School Easter Treats. Because I am a glutton for punishment. And I have lost my marbles. And in a moment of temporary insanity (I blame the pinwheels...) I signed up again.

Whee!!

Children are just precious. They crack me up. Like when Ryan yelled "Keep it on the road daddy!!" every single time the wagon hit the rumble strips signaling the upcoming street crossing. I told the boys to say it once as Kevin got a little close to the curb on his first down ramp. He did it all on his own after that.

It was our first trip out in the wagon. And they LOVED it.

1.25 TONS

Ever wondered what a ton of sand looks like? No? Okay... Me, neither. But now I know. Seriously. MORE than a ton. A ton and a 1/4th. That's right - 2500lbs worth of sand. That's 50, 50lb bags. I started with an optimistic 20 bags. And it was soon more than apparently that 1000 lbs was a gross underestimate. So then there were 40 bag. 2000lbs. 1 ton. And the sandbox? Still not full. So I made one final trip. 10 more bags. 500lbs more. And after having spent all afternoon either making trips back and forth to the store or dumping bags in the sandbox it looked close enough to me.

Spring

No doubt spring is here. The sun is out. The birds are chirping. And Easter decorations, though late, are multiplying like bunnies. :)

Decorating

My little "helpers."

The boys and I worked on our outdoor easter decorations tonight. The boys did an AMAZING job of staying in the front yard (not one single stray into the street!) They helped carry all the eggs from the garage to the yard and even followed me around putting eggs where I told them they needed to go! And on top of that they even left them alone once they put them out. The pinwheels on the other hand... Apparently letting them play with them first wasn't the best idea I have ever had...

Through my eyes...

This photo just screams CLASS. Like how the price tag is still on the toy. Or the full grown weeds in the expansion cracks in the driveway. Or how the child is running around with just 1 shoe on a damp driveway. But mostly what I saw was that smile. And the look of astonishment turned delight on his face when the pinwheel started spinning all on its own. Coupled with the shrill laugh of abandon. Followed by the evil maniacal laugh that they learned from me.

New Discoveries

Through the eyes of a child...

One of the things I love most about parenthood is watching the kids discover the world. Every day there are dozens of new things that fill them with wonder and delight.

I stopped by the dollar store today. It is always a fun treat for me whether I spend a dollar or not. Today was no exception. Today, I picked up pinwheels. I was so excited to show them to the boys as soon as we got home. Once Ryan figured out that holding it up in the air caused it spin he was fascinated.

Vice

One of my vices. One of my favorite scents. Hand poured. Just for me.

Authentic food

This could certainly explain a few things...

Got this in a fortune cookie today. It came from the noodle bar which in theory serves up Chinese, Thai and Italian. And apparently Chinese fortune cookies in Spanish?? I believe my 'fortune' says "The eyes are the windows to the soul."

Entranced

We spent some time with the inlaws, today. They fried up some of the fish Kevin and his brother caught for a late lunch and then put on a movie for the boys. The boys were entranced by Alvin and the chipmunks. Though I suppose it might have been the 90 inch LCD tv at their level as well as surround sound to make it really interactive, but everytime the movie would cut to a scene without the trio Ryan would ask "Where'd they go?" or "Where's Alvin??"

Video Games

Already with the video games?? He may only be 2, but he's a button pushing monkey who is already well on his way to running the remote and the stereo all by himself.

The view

This was my view today. I watched the clouds float across the sky as I alternated between reading a book, and just enjoying feeling the sun on my skin and the breeze blowing all around me as I lounged in my hammock. The breeze had the wind chimes tinkling a beautiful melody. And the birds chirped and twittered from their perches in the nearby trees. It's been a long time since I spent a day like today. I finished my book and spent some time exploring the yard for the tell-tale signs of spring. Then I napped the rest of the beautiful spring afternoon away.

Deja Vu

Feeling a bit of deja vu? Me, too. This is the Valentines Day balloon. You know the one that escaped to float to the ceiling? Yeah. It is still there... I am thinking of taking bets on when it might come down as it has surprised us all with its longevity.

Explorers

Daylight savings time has been a bit rough. Getting up before the sun is unnatural. Though the boys have a adjusted in no time at all. They are certainly enjoying getting to play outside after dinner. Tonight we played in the backyard for a while. They played on the slide, they rolled, kicked and threw the ball. They checked out the raccoons in the bird feeder and went for a ride in the hammock.

"Unable to locate account"

"Unable to locate account"

Those are not words you want to hear about your bank account, but yet that is what was printed big, bold, and red across the the top of the returned check. Thankfully I had the night before checked the account online and was fairly certain it still existed and more importantly that the money was still there. Luckily a trip to to the bank sorted out the issue - and explained the mysterious box of checks which had arrived in the mail unprompted by us. It was a change in the account number format. Though the old checks should have still worked.

Before I left the bank I withdrew some money for the coke machine and to pay my lotto debts. I used to pick up rolls of quarters, but the bank no longer carries them. So I asked for dollars instead. As the cashier handed over two bundles of money I looked at them in surprise. They looked like the haul of a bank robber or maybe my life savings. I couldn't help but smile as I stuffed them down inside a paper sack.

A Special Treat

A Special Treat

I was surprised to see the box in the mail. I expected it to take longer to arrive. I couldn't wait to open it and see the treasure inside. I immediately found a chain for it and had to put it on. I rarely buy myself jewelry and almost never sight unseen. But from the second I spied it online I knew it was the one.

The very bad no good day

He is an accident looking for a place to happen. And it's been one thing after another today. He jumped off the couch slipped on something in the floor and crashed head first into the moulding around the fireplace. Connor 0, Eggs 1. Then after kissing the wrong spot on his poor little concussed head we took him to a restaurant and let him and his brother run around on the benches where you are supposed to sit. It's a long story and is only half as negligent as it sounds, but it should come as no surprise that he crashed in slow motion face first onto the cold, hard, tile of the restaurant floor probably banging a table on the way down for a double whammy. Connor 0, Eggs 2. So if 2 giant eggs on his head weren't enough for one day we then encouraged him to play soccer in the backyard. All we know of incident 3 is that there was a ball involved, and a big brother. One second everyone was chasing the ball, and the next Daddy was sorting out limbs and calling a medical time out. Connor ended up with a bloody nose. Connor 0, Bad Day 3.

For Me

For Me. Just me.

It was a wonderful day today. The weather was gorgeous. We ran around and had all kinds of fun until we were all so exhausted that we all came home and took a 3 hour nap. The dog and I walked home from our last adventure - just to the two of us while the boys picked up dinner and headed home in the car. We watched the sunset. We enjoyed the peace and quiet. Such a simple thing, but I can't even remember the last time that I did something like it. Tonight after the boys were in bed I pulled out some candles and sat and watched the glow of the flickering light. Just me. Just because.

A Treat

A warm weather treat.

We got home a little early tonight - before the sun had set. The weather was just beautiful. And the boys? They were driving me nuts. They were horrible at pick up. I threatened to leave them laying in the middle of the parking lot. They didn't do much better when we got home. Connor darted into the street again. I debated leaving him to the cars or the wild pack of dogs that surely roam the neighborhood late at night looking for little boys who ran from their mothers and have been left outside.

Then I took a deep breath. Or 10. And reminded myself that despite the fact they look like grown up little boys that they are just 2. And this is what 2 year olds do. And I felt the sun on my face. And the light breeze blowing in my hair. And I decided that we should take advantage of the good weather and run off some of that excess energy or sugar or whatever was turning my little angels (cough, cough) into devlish little monsters. So we broke out the cars and I stood at the end of the street in the sun directing toddler traffic like an air traffic controller.

102.4

102.4

Okay, so technically I didn't take this picture on Thursday, but given that this thing told me I had a temperature of 102.4 I think it's understandable. Especially given it normally tells me that my temperature is 97.1. I picked up the kids. I came home. I cussed my husband for taking so stinking long to get home. Then the second he came in the door I dragged myself into the bedroom and crawled into bed.

Alligator Tamer

The Alligator Tamer

Meet Alli. Alli was buried in the bottom of an Easter plush bin at Sams. What Alligators and Easter have to do with one another is beyond me, but as soon as I saw Alli I knew I had to have her. I mean the boys had to have her. Yeah that's it. So I plopped her up over the edge of the cart like she was trying to escape and eye level with the 3ft tall set and wheeled her all over the store terrorizing the unsuspecting victims along the way.


And if I am ever lost in the jungle this is the child I want to take with me. The one that jumped on top of the alligator and wrestled it until it stopped fighting back then grabbed hold of it's tail and hauled it away like a sack of potatoes. Not the one that walked right by a 5ft long alligator and never even noticed it was there. And then we he did ran screaming for his life and hid behind his father.

Happy Gram

Ryan's Happy Gram

Ryan got a Happy Gram from school today. He's quite the talker. I am truly amazed at how fast he picks things up. He talks in sentences. He can rephrase the sentence and move the words around and still make it make perfect sense. He uses pronouns correctly. And he enunciates like a much older child (he just turned 2). School often comments on just how clearly he speaks. And how he always remembers to use his words. So apparently that broken record parroting of "use your words", "say please", and "thank you" are really paying off after all.


Now if I could just get him to write his own thank you notes.... He has the concept down ("Thank you mommy for more pancakes"), and he knows all his letters by both sight and sound. We just need to work on that writing... If he keeps up his current pace he ought to have cursive down before too long. :)

The bain of my existance

The bain of my existance...

I can't put my finger on what exactly I so dislike about laundry other than the fact that it multiplies like crazy, but I tend to avoid it for as long as I possibly can. I have set a new record lately even for myself. I have no idea how long it has been exactly since I have done all my laundry. I tend to do the boy's laundry and maybe a load or two for myself. Or just sneak a few of my things in with the boys laundry.


I did just my darks on Sunday night - or should I say just the ones that were actually IN the laundry basket. I didn't bother to sort through the pile that has begun next to the basket. Nor did I go into the bedroom and sort through the I am too tired to walk the extra 20 feet to put this up at night pile. It took 3 loads and when it was all said and done I had hung up 51 shirts if that gives you a clue. I still have 3 or so piles of whites. And probably the same amount of lights. I also have a colossal pile of kitchen towels which will probably warrent at least two by themselves. And bath towels. And sheets. I have done a load or twelve here and there, but there always seems to be more.

The Enforcer

The Enforcer

We took the boys to a new park this morning. Of course the boys had to explore the death defying "Oh no, not that one!" monster play equipment. While all the other sane children hit the equivalent of the bunny slopes the boys tacked the death defying double black diamond kind of stuff. Not that either Kevin or I thought to take our camera. Then again when we left the house the only destination we had in mind was a nearby McDonalds.

Then one thing led to another. Connor spotted a squirrel. And became obsessed. And followed/chased/stalked the poor thing all over the place until the squirrel finally with a paranoid look back over his shoulder disappeared into the posted no trespassing forest much to Connor's dismay. Before too long we found a dirt path that disappeared into the forest as well. So we took it. It meandered alongside a creek and was what looked to be a well traveled off road bike path. The boys trekked along exploring as eager as we were to find out where it went.

After a late lunch we put the boys down for a nap with plans to go back to the park later and explore some of the off-shoots we had seen that morning when they woke up. Apparently between McDonalds, and the park we had worn them out as they slept for almost 4 hours making it far too late into the day to head back. So we took a walk around our neighborhood instead.

Ryan was being a turkey and flat out refused to come closer to us or head the way we had decided to go. So as I told him for the umpteenth time to "Come this way" and he steadfastly refused Connor took it upon himself to get Ryan moving again, and in the right direction.

Life of the Party

The boys went to Miss Leila's birthday party at Gymboree. They loved the slides, the parachute and the rocking horse. They kept starting rocking at the same time in opposite directions which kept the horse at a dead standstill and caused them to bonk heads repeatedly. Silly boys...

Encouragement

Like they needed any encouragement...

And when they color all over each other? Well, it's right there on the label.

Livestock show and Rodeo

One of the bulls at the livestock show. Patiently waiting his turn, seemingly oblivious to the throng of of people wandering through to take a look. There were some that had such big humps that they looked like camels and weighed more than some cars. Out of curiosity I asked one gentleman what a behemoth lying nearby weighed and he responded 2853lbs. Just so you know that's just 250 lbs shy of the curb weight of my V8, 4WD, 5 passenger SUV.

Brushing Teeth

Day - "I have lost count and am too lazy to go look."

Ryan brushing his teeth. Not that he does more than suck all the toothpaste off the toothbrush and chew on it, but it's a start... right?

It is still up there

Day 61 - It is still up there

I saw it happening as if in slow motion. Connor was pulling on the string and it snapped. I reached for it but it slipped through my fingers. I reached again, but by then it had slipped out of reach. It floated lazily towards the ceiling where it came to rest. And where it has stayed. It's been two weeks and it is still there. We thought it would have come down by now, but it shows no signs of making a descent any time soon. The boys know it is there. They gaze upwards every once in a while just to confirm that it is still there.

Presents

Day 60 - Presents

I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but we still haven't opened half of the boy's presents yet.

Choo-choo

Day 59 - Chugga Chugga choo choo

We took the boys to their original birthday party venue today - Old McDonalds Farm. They LOVED it. They especially liked riding the train.