Schnikies...it has been hot lately!! We were on the way to a barbeque at our church at 6:00pm last Sunday and the thermometer still read 102 degrees in our truck! With all this hot weather, we have been staying indoors more, which sometimes leads to stir-craziness and cabin fever among the wee-ones. So, a couple of days ago, we ventured outdoors around 8:30am to try to beat the heat. I had already been up almost 2 hrs and was on my second cup of coffee.....man, my kids get up early sometimes. Did I mention that I am NOT a morning person?? Don't judge me, all you 5am early birds;) Anyway, we went outside and I took my bible study material to try to catch up (I was 4 days behind!!) and settled in on the back deck, where ideally the children would run and frolic in the backyard. Not so....a few minutes later there was crying, coming from my 2 yr old who once again tried to brave the slide with no assistance (he is super independent) only to discover that it still retains its inferior design, in that it self propels children into the air at the end. No, really....who designs these play areas? The slide builds up their speed as they go down and then oh-so-slightly tilts up at the bottom, causing the child to go a bit air-borne before coming to a crash landing on their bottoms. So, after a kiss from mommy, he was on his way again. Five minutes later....."MOM!!! Cohen's head is stuck in the chair and he can't get out!!!" Since the two of them can be super dramatic about things, I meandered over to take a look. Yup. He was stuck. I tried to free his head and he started screaming. As I looked the chair over to find a solution, I saw where they were held together with mere screws, and started to wonder where a screwdriver might be, but then I tried to free him once more and after pinning his ears back and twisting, he was free. Whew! By this time it was heating up, and I had chores and errand to do, so we headed inside. We loaded up to go to the YMCA and were off. Next, a quick trip to Publix. (Yeah right:) Publix runs with the kiddos go something like this: We head for the rocket carts, you know, the ones that two kids can sit in and drive side-by-side? They always want that one, and always sit with Cohen on the right, Rylie on the left. I manage to check a few items off my list before we arrive at the bakery, where we always hit them up for free cookies. Chocolate chip of course:) I manage to round out the produce items and some juice boxes before we land at the balloon area. (I always approach this area cautiously, telling them we only get a balloon if someone happens to be standing there....I am NOT tracking someone down specifically for this. 9 out of 10 no one is nearby...) On this day, there was a smiling Publix employee, who readily offered to blow up balloons for us. (Yay).....so the next three isles I found myself referee-ing between balloons in the face and threatening to take them away as Cohen smacked them with his over sized plastic shovel that he was currently in a phase of carrying around non-stop. As we rounded the corner to grab some things from the dairy isle, Cohen started wailing at the top of his lungs. Rylie simultaneously started screaming "MOM!" loudly. I looked down to see that Cohen had placed the chip clip (attached to the balloons so the kids don't loose them) on his FACE and it was just hanging on his cheek as he screeched like a banshee! Being that I am now out in the open, with plenty of onlookers who have stopped searching through the yogurts and coffee creamers and have turned to see this garish display of bad parenting, I gingerly remove the clip from my toddler's face and massage the area, while giving him kisses on the now-purple boo-boo and whispering calming words into his tiny ear. I try not to make eye contact as I dart down the nearest aisle and glance at my list, hoping that I am almost done. I realize how haggard I must look.... in my exercise gear with no make-up.... and as I look up, I see another mommy with two kids in tow. One is climbing out the side of the cart, the other grabbing things off the shelf. She too is in her gym attire and we exchange knowing glances. We smile and laugh as we make comments about making it through the whole store and she heads off to the balloons. I regroup, then complete my list and we head home. It is only lunchtime........

P.S. I totally found a $5 off your grocery purchase coupon by the carts and added it to my stash of coupons, bringing my total of $93.00 worth of groceries down to $57.00....thank you Lord for even the smallest provisions:) And thank you for my sweet babies who bring me laughter every day:)



A Bug Themed 2nd Birthday!

 Can't believe our little man is already two!!! Time is moving so quickly...we celebrated Cohen's  2nd birthday party with a bug theme. I had a great time planning it!I made him a special "bug" t-shirt with a "2"....

 Some of the sugar cookies that have become a tradition on the kids' birthdays.....they always match the theme. Grasshoppers shown here....

 This was an idea I got from pinterest....Centipede grapes!

 More sugar cookies....butterflies, snails, and grasshoppers!

 Getting ready for some hotdogs!

 Drink station, where the little ones can have some "beetle juice"....

 The Hungry Caterpillar...(also a pinterest idea)....

 Dirt cupcakes with worms!

 A wheelbarrow full of real worms!

 They had lots of fun digging for the worms...they were huge!! I got the shovels and rakes at the dollar store....

 I got the big ants at a local cake supply store...they were lined up, heading for the cupcakes!

 So much fun for all!

 They got me with one of the fat worms....

 Presents....

 I got the idea to get a bunch of spray bottles (dollar store) and make them pretend bug spray (really just water) and the kids were the bugs. They put on the antannae (use pipe cleaners and plastic headbands) and sprayed each other! I cut the letters out of vinyl with my cricut!

 Spraying the "bugs"....

 Birthday boy and his buddy Tristan...

 I made "ant hills" out of ice cream, crumbling graham crackers on top and adding a plastic ant.....

 Nice day for a backyard party....

Hanging out....we had a great time and I loved the theme....only 5 months until Rylie's party...hmmmm what will her theme be this time??



Say "Cheese", Groupon

You've all seen the "daily deal" sites that advertise consistently on your facebook pages or perhaps even flood your in boxes....you know the ones, LivingSocial, Whoot, Groupon, and the likes. Today I would like to step proudly onto my well-worn soap box and harp on the latest debacle to hit me square in the face, literally. It was brought upon me by none other than our friend Groupon. Oh, Groupon...why do you hate me so? Why do you offer products that you couldn't have possibly tried yourself, or if you have you are an evil masochist, sent to make ill-gotten gains off our pain and discomfort. Let's travel back to my date of purchase, a brisk day in February. I scanned my email, skipping over the usual spam, taking care not to miss a personal note from a friend or teacher. There,  in my Groupon for the day, was an offer for a tooth whitening LED kit, guaranteed to lend a noticeable difference to your grill within a few treatments. Not one to jump on the gimmick bandwagon so freely, I googled the product and came up with mixed reviews, all referring to the effectiveness of the said product. As I blissfully pondered the image of my teeth, dazzling white, as I stood in a field of flowers with the sun shining down on my head and my sundress blowing in the warm breeze, I went to the Groupon site and placed my order. For only $28 I could buy the system, normally $159. Done. Skip two weeks ahead and there was the package, in all its glory, brought to me by our local mail carrier. I opened it upon receipt and then set it aside. Stewart( my dear hubby) came in and viewed it with hesitant skepticism, attempting to read the lengthy instructions to me as my eyes glazed over and my mind traveled to other lands. (I am NOT an auditory learner....how I made it through college lectures is beyond me. I do have many a notebook that contain a semblance of note taking only to end in a sentence that runs off the page with a pencil mark resembling a flat line, denoting where I fell asleep and my hand ran off the page.) Alas, I digress.....anyhoo, I did hear the part being read that said I would have to lay off of dark beverages (aka coffee) while using this product, and with my addiction to morning caffeine still going strong, I was less than eager to start immediately. The next week, one cool evening, with the kiddies nestled into their beds and a warm fire going downstairs, I retrieved the kit. Stewart and I were settling in to watch some sitcoms and I thought I would try out the kit while vegging on the couch. I gingerly placed the trays into my lap and filled them with a small amount of the whitening gel, administered from a pre-filled syringe. The directions said to only use a small amount, as too much could get on the gums and cause irritation. The kit also came with desensitizing gel to be applied after, for those patrons with sensitive teeth. I placed the trays into my mouth and tried to turn on the LED light, at which point I noticed a fair amount of drooling going on in my mouth. I dropped the batteries and as I went to pick them up, a warm sensation started in my mouth and quickly upped the drool factor, to the point of running out of my mouth and down my arm. I flung the LED and batteries towards Stewart, suddenly in a state of urgent panic. With all the drooling and heat in my mouth, surely I needed that light to be in there, working its magic. I am sure I looked oh-so-attractive to my sweet husband of 8 years as I salivated, eyes watering, grasping for a tissue and frantically waving my arms for him to fix the light. He stopped and looked at me, and then went back to the light, probably out of fear. At this point the burning went to full on searing, and I ran to the bathroom, no longer able to produce enough friction in my mouth to keep the trays in due to Niagara Falls spewing forth from my salivary glands. I spit them out, along with the continuing drool and looked at my now WHITE gum line! This stuff had chemically burned the area above my front teeth. HOLY COW!!! The humanity! I grabbed a baby washcloth and applied cold water to the area, and went to show Stewart, who sometimes accuses me of being overly dramatic (me...what?!). After a sympathetic glance from my honey, I spent the rest of the evening holding the washcloth against my gum line, vowing revenge on the makers of the tooth whitening miracle. For now, I guess I will stick to whitening toothpaste or the like, and my future with Groupon may be limited to a smirk revealing a set of teeth in a lovely shade of ecru instead of crisp white:)

Mama said there'd be days like this......

Yesterday began with the sounds of little voices, a wonderful music to start the day. Then I looked at the clock.......sigh. It was a mere 6:50 and Cohen had been up crying twice in the night, so much so that I picked him up and went to snuggle with him in the guest bed. Rylie had already crawled in to our bed at some point and flopped around like a fish out of water, so I thought I would attempt to get SOME sleep in her room before Cohen awoke the second time. We got up and ate breakfast and Rylie went to preschool. Cohen napped. Then I went to pick up Rylie at preschool. I had been on the phone with the phone service at the pediatrician twice that morning and the nurse finally called me and told me what to get for a little rash Cohen had. Everyone was tired, but I thought I could sneak in a quick trip to Hobby Lobby (just to return a few items) and then by Target to get the ointment. As soon as I parked the car, Rylie started to wilt, whining about being hot. I loaded them both into the cart and wheeled them up to the service desk. They immediately both started to try to stand in the cart, with Cohen leaning over one side to loot the candy they oh-so-strategically place by the register much to the chagrin of many a Mommy. As I bantered with the clerk (who had to call a manager over for some reason), I grabbed the candies and returned them to their spot and the wailing commenced. And when I say wailing....I mean, I mean like a BANSHEE. A SIREN. Any other alarming, high pitched nerve shattering noise you may drum up in your mind. Wow. I tried to remain calm as I got high browed stares from the patrons around me. I returned there stares with a smile and a bit of nervous laughter, all the while willing the manager to HURRY UP, DANG IT! in my mind. I grabbed a bag of cheez-its and gave her back some of the money she had just refunded me to cover the snacks and then we were out. On to Target. Relatively uneventful by comparison, we got the goods and got out. When we got home, I bathed Cohen and as the nurse instructed, let him run around naked and "air out". In the meantime, Rylie and I decided to change out her earrings. NOT a simple task. Remember Cohen's wailing from above? Similar to this, only she assumes a fetal position and grasps her ears while crying no! no! Its gonna hurt!!!! (Her ears are still healing from piercing, sensitive ears etc. so we got some sterling silver ones). Tears a-flowing, she still insists that we do this! About 8 minutes later and I have ONE earring changed, and I hear the wailing from baby boy coming down the hallway. He rounded the corner in his birthday suit, only it looked like it was covered in chocolate frosting. NOT Chocolate........AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! He was screaming and coming towards me very quickly, so I grabbed him and put him into the tub that I had just drained. He was crying and gagging and I sprayed him down saying "it is ok", not wishing to think about the scene in our bedroom where he had emerged from. Rylie went to check it out and came back saying "oh my gosh, mom. You are gonna flip out when you see your room.....". Wow. So with the poo washed off baby boy and Rylie with mismatched earrings, I went to survey the damage. Luckily, it was in a pile in front of the sink, with a bit on a towel that was nearby, but gross nonetheless. It is pretty bad when your one year old is gagging and begging "diaper mommeeeeee". Just as I thought I could take no more, my knight in shining armor (aka Stewart) arrived with the little green dragon (the bissell steam vac) to save the day!

Cohen saying "cheese" so hard he is drooling!

My babies

Rylie

Just a little late....

5 years old.....you are such a little ray of sunshine, sweet baby girl. We can't believe you are growing up so fast! You are a kind hearted and loving little girl, and you are very nurturing by nature. You are polite and are becoming a lot more outgoing and confident these days. You are starting to read on your own and even spell words. You say sweet prayers at night and we still love to snuggle with us. You are creative and smart and beautiful.

For your birthday, you wanted 2 things: A party at Pump it Up and your ears pierced. Do not be deceived by the serenity in the photos, yes, there were indeed tears. You were super excited to get up in that chair and choose the sparkly purple rhinestone earrings. The ladies are getting ready to pierce here....then, it was over and you realized that it hurt and you cried.....but only for a moment. You got a lollipop and a mirror and you were ready to show off those beauties! What a big girl:)

 This was another request...a kitty cat themed party. (Sheesh!) We made a yarn ball cake with marshmallow fondant icing (you helped roll it) and placed a kitty on top. Purple is your favorite color, so of course that is the color of "yarn" we made. We made cookies on a stick that were cat faces, number "5"s, yarn balls, and even fish bones. We served "meow mix" to your guests and had individual ice cream cups and juice boxes. Your out fit had a kitty applique and skirt to match that I made and your helped design:) One of the highlights of your party: Getting to sit on the "throne" and open gifts!

You two will never know how much Daddy and I love you...you are the apples of our eye! God has blessed us so richly, in so many ways. We must always remember tho thank Him and give Him the glory!

Little man, you are getting so big! You are all boy and are talking so much now. You will repeat anything we tell you. You always make us smile and you are ALL BOY 24/7! I love to hear the swish-swish of your diaper as you run down the hall and the laughter of you and Rylie playing in your room. I can overhear her calling you "honey" and you call her "Lolly" because you can't quite get "Rylie" yet. You can say chocolate though. And "can-ny" (candy). You even say "thank you I enjoyed it" when prompted by Daddy after dinner and you throw your trash in the "gaa-bige". "Donn wann it" is also a favorite phrase and you will put your self in time out if you are in trouble! So funny! You  can pee pee in the potty now, but are not quite ready for full-on diaper training yet. You are so busy! You are very sweet natured and loving, but very active! You keep Mommy and Daddy busy....we love you, Cohen!

Halloween 2011

I am just getting around to posting our Halloween pics. We had a great time. Rylie was Dorothy and Cohen was the cowardly lion. These were taken as we were getting ready to head out into the neighborhood with a few friends from church. This is our first Halloween in our new house and the first year that somebody wasn't sick or having a major meltdown. Not to say the cowardly lion didn't have his moments, but when he figured out that when you went up to someone's door and knocked and held out your bag and people put candy in it, he was all about it!


The Cowardly Lion checking out his candy....


Scooby-Doo (Tristan), Dancer (Emma Cate), Dorothy (Rylie), and the Cowardly Lion (Cohen) getting ready to hit the sidewalks!



This was taken at Rylie's preschool. Her friend Logan was dressed as the Scarecrow, so I had to get a picture of the two of them together!


They had a really cute Halloween program and sang lots of cute songs and then went back to the room for a party! I got to help with this one, so I got a few pics!

Pumpkin patch fun!

Rylie had a class trip to Tate Farms again this year. It was a beautiful day and we had lots of fun picking out just the right pumpkins, playing in the corn pit, and seeing all the baby animals. The kids had a blast going down the giant slide and jumping on the huge bouncy mat! She really enjoys her preschool class. I am so glad I get to go with them on fieldtrips. Fun!