Kindermusik on a Rainy Day

It rained a lot today, so we didn't leave the house - except for Kindermusik. It was kind of like a test drive. I took Maddox for a free class to see if he liked it and if it was worth the money. He put his shades on and we were good to go.

(He liked it, by the way, so looks like this will be a weekly thing.)

Back home, we took a good long nap and then played. We played all day. That is the beautiful thing about rainy days!

Jude tried to eat everything, as usual.

Maddox tried to fit into his barn (didn't quite work out for him).

Then the cabin fever set in and Maddox was swinging from doors, climbing on my table, climbing up the pantry shelves...

and stealing anything that belongs to Jude (as usual).

 

 

Jude got Maddox back for stealing his bottle. He stole Maddox's weeble and hid it under his blanket, then grinned really really BIG.

 Bath time rolled around and Maddox did his usual pee routine. That means he peed in his toy cup, handed me the cup and said, "Eew dirty. Clean it."

I always heard that little boys are a MESS. I believe it!

My Wee Sunshine

He rolls over now! A lot. I am not talking about a dog, by the way. I am talking about this cute little ball of sunshine.

 

 

                        He chuckles a lot, too. As Trues would say, he's a hoot.



Just Another Bend in the Road....

I just finished singing "Jesus Loves Me" about 52 times to the boys. I thought it would help to ease them into dreamland, but instead Maddox chimed in and Jude kept laughing. Oh well, I think they liked it. And at least by the 52nd time they were fast asleep.

I have a lot on my mind...like a $413 power bill (still trying to figure out how that happened...and that doesn't even include water!!), the fact that we need to move by March 1 and probably will (but where to???), and then there is Jude's rash.

I feel sure it is an allergic reaction to something but what? Maybe the doctor can give me some idea when we visit him on Monday. I switched detergents and wash his clothes separately, I bathe him with Aveeno soap and then follow with Aveeno lotion, and I have tried to limit dairy in my diet, as I read that is often the culprit. But EVERYTHING has dairy in it (almost). And as soon as I decide to cut out dairy and see what happens...I suddenly start craving cheesetoast, potato soup, and the oh-so-yummy-looking egg omelet, complete with salsa on the side, that I made for Maddox tonight.

Hmm.

I think I will just relax for tonight and pull a Scarlett O-Hara. "I'll think about that tomorrow."

Snapshots

(I have been absent from blogging lately. Life here has been keeping me busy, but no excuses! I will do better. Maybe all these pictures will make up for it.)

Jude loves having a big brother. He has not said this, BUT...I know it's true because

1) Maddox feeds him M&Ms (well, tries to) when I'm not looking...and

2) Maddox rides him around in his treasured "racecar."

Here are some snapshots of family life recently. We got a 3-day weekend with TaTa and enjoyed it FULLY, as you might can tell....

A Night on the Town:)

We live very close to this great place called Destin. It's the place where the tourists flock to in the summer - known for it's beautiful beaches and fine, white sand. Besides endless hotels and restaurants (so many we want to try!), there is endless shopping. One of the best spots to hit up is the Silver Sands Outlets...they have it all, from Coach to Le Creuset to my own favorite, J. Crew. Tonight we ventured to the outlets because I had to return a dress (it didn't look like it did on the mannequin....). The kids were great, but other people - well some people are just plain RUDE.

Scenario: Andrew was "wearing" Jude in the carrier and as we walked by a store, a big-butted lady pressed her big butt into the door and flung it open. It almost knocked Jude in the head. On top of that, she was hauling a gigantic stroller, which she shoved out the door and then...ran over Andrew's foot. Did she stop to apologize? Did she care that he was carrying the sweetest little baby on this planet? Nope. She just sped up like "Get the hell out of my way!"

Andrew's temper flared up and he said some pretty ugly words about her...quite loudly, so that she (and her husband, who followed her like a little sheep) could hear. Luckily this did not end in a fight....

And actually, aside from that, the night was pretty fun. We went out to eat for the first time since Jude was born. The key to success was making sure Maddox was hungry...and that Jude was not. Yes, we did it! Maddox ate like a pig and didn't whine and Jude slept.

We were feeling so good we decided to go into Barnes and Noble for a while after dinner. If there is one thing Maddox can't have too much of, it's books. He loves them and we read one...or two...or three every night. Cheap plastic toys lose his interest pretty fast and end up in the top of the closet (by the way, the sign of a piece of junk toy? No volume control!) but books are a winner. Next on the to-buy list? If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Kitten's First Full Moon, and The Mitten (yes, Mom, I found it!!).

I browsed the magazines with him at one point and he quickly picked out his choice: a Sports Illustrated with a bikini-clad woman on the cover. He held it up so that I (and all the other people sitting two feet away) could see. "Look! It's Mommy!" I tried to quickly put it back and he got the death grip on it, then shrieked. "Mommy! Mommy!"

It was really pretty hilarious, but at the time...not so much. I got a good laugh out of it though. Aren't little boys the best? Only my sweet little boy could think I looked anything like that size 2 covergirl! Ha!

That boy is a ball of fun...and I do love him so.

The Gift of Caffeine

Things are looking a little shabby at my house.

See what I mean? I could be writing a nice long blog at this above location, but then again...I could also get to cleaning (since the boys went to bed...hallelujah!).

I blame them for my house being one heck of a MESS.

I couldn't do anything today except hold babies.

If I tried to do anything else, like wash a dish or put on a bra, one of them would go to pieces. So...they went to bed by 8pm. They needed some sleep in a bad, bad way (as do I!).

There was no way I could cook today. I am all cooked out and it's Friday, so early weekend, right? That's why Maddox and I had macaroni, sweet peas and the rest of my homemade bread (which actually tasted good!) for dinner. This weekend I'm going to attempt homemade raisin bread.

All I can say is that on days like today, thank God for caffeine!

The Good (Homemade Bread) and the Bad (Shots)

Back in the day (2, 3 years ago?), I bought a Kitchenaid stand mixer on Black Friday. You know - the Kitchenaid mixers you see in all the house magazines that come in a zillion different colors. Well, I bought it mostly because I thought it would look great on my countertop. Ha. But it's a new year and I am determined to USE it. It intimidates me and I always use the hand mixer instead. No more! Lately I have been cooking up a storm in my little kitchen (thanks to my new Turbo coffee, perhaps) and it is high time I incorporated my mixer. Guess I will need to dust it off first....

Another intimidating thing in my kitchen? A bread machine my grandma gave to me. But...tonight I decided to face it head on. I pulled that baby out, loaded it up and am awaiting the taste test. At least my house smells good!

Today was beautiful - pure 60 degree sunshine! The worst part was taking JuJu Bean (as Maddox calls him) to his check-up. It was short and sweet...until we got to the part with the shots. Then he screamed. But a few bandaids later (and a lot of holding), all is well.

Beautiful Boy

As a young girl, I used to imagine what my future children would look like. I knew one thing: I wanted a blonde-headed baby with big blue eyes and curls.

Well...looks like I got him ;)

Andrew gave him the curly test the other night. He washed his hair and combed it straight down. Immediately the curls popped defiantly back out.

I don't want to cut the curls off! I guess I will just keep letting it grow until someone calls him a she....

Just Another Manic Monday (and Tuesday)

My new year has started off on a sad, sad note. Missy -my family's dog of 14 years (I think) - passed away. She was my favorite childhood pet. I thought she was the last one to go but then I remembered that Floyd the cat (who must be ancient by now) is still hanging around. I was sad that my family was all gathered around that night together and I was so far away. Childhood memories flooded my mind and I cried. It was not just the passing of a dog, but it was also the passing of an era.

I hope that 2011 diverts from this sad path and takes on a new, upbeat tone! Today I decided to shake the sadness and get our butts out the house. It was early, but the weather was perfect. We strolled all around the neighborhood. We saw a Barbie pink jeep and Andrew said, "It looks like a toy." Then we laughed because the license plate read, "Toy Car."

Maddox is starting to talk in short sentences (when he wants to); Jude is trying his best to sit up and is still as sweet as pie.

Today I kind of wanted to pull my hair out because 1) I had an awful headache and sore throat AND 2) Maddox was whining about EVERYTHING.

But I tried my best to be patient and to remember that things are changing fast, they are growing up up up, and I best stop complaining and enjoy these little boys while they are still little.

(last picture: Maddox made this face about 250 times today)

Crafting the New Year Away!

Hello 2011!
It's hard to believe that during this year I will end up with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old.
And me...well, I am getting old. Ever closer to the big 3 0.
We spent New Year's Eve eating wings, watching football and of course, watching the Times Square ball drop. It felt a little weird, though, because the ball dropped at 11 pm here for us. We are stuck in central time and it always feels like being stuck an hour in the past!
I did a little Targeting this weekend, too. I was so excited to find a glittery mushroom for my Christmas gnomes...and I got some ornaments for the boys' tree I plan to do next year. Unfortunately, the 75% off deal wasn't as good as it sounded. The robot ornament is missing a foot and the skateboarding squirrel is missing a couple wheels. I must have been a little distracted when I put them into my shopping cart....
Today we all - yes, all four of us - took a beautiful 3-hour nap in Maddox's little double bed. We were all so snug no one wanted to wake up! Our New Year's weekend has been quite lazy and hey, that's ok with me!
Tonight I started crafting again. I changed out the ribbon on my lamp shade and did this:

I saw the idea on etsy.com.

Our hearts will always be very, very close to Carolina.

And so, it's a new year and a new start.

I hope we make the best of it and that lots and lots of happiness and excitement lie ahead....