Monday, January 31

Poo, Spools, and Fireworks

This weekend went by so fast.  Friday night, we went out with friends from out of town.  Of course, we ate Mexican food.  It was sooooooooooooo good.  Do you now what these are?


Chips and salsa.  I have a problem with this food.  No matter how full I am, if there are chips in front of me, I eat them.  I lick the bowl clean and drink the salsa.  I have a problem. Friday was different.  I said NO to chips thanks to my 101 in 1001 things.  Not one chip entered my mouth, Not one morsel of salt (from the chips) touched my lips.  #53, in the bag.

After dinner, we headed home so we could get ready for our weekend trip to Tyler to visit the Grandparents.  Love it out there, fresh food, fresh air, limited cell phone coverage, its just what is needed.

We got off to a late start.  They needed a bath.  I got them naked and went to change Elyse.  Cole was in the tub, with a floater.  Yup, he pooped right in the tub.  So after bleaching the tub and all the toys and a brief stop to get some jeans for the kids, we were on our way.  When we got there, the kids were shy at first, like always and then warmed up and wouldnt sit still.  Who knew empty spools of thread could entertain kids so well?



We gave them apple pie.  Talk about a SUGAR RUSH so we then decided to take a walk.


They loved being free and able to explore everything.  He liked to run up and down and side to side as she picked up sticks. 
We walked past this sign and they thought it was hilarious to make noise by banging on it and play peek-a-boo with each other. 

We were entertained, they relaxed.



As it got dark, the fireworks started.  It was a kids birthday aroudn the corner so we got to enjoy the show as well.

Cole didnt take his eyes off of the sky.

Elyse kept saying "Momma, I see it, I see it"

They were exhausted and we headed home.

Sunday was just as uneventful.  I went to work, for a minute.  It was quick and painless.  I did Yoga again.  It was so much better than the last time.  There was a whole bunch of people at different levels.  I was sweating and Im a little sore today, so I guess I was doing it right.  Im definlty going to be doing this weekly.  Also, Im back in gear for my training.  With being sick, running was NOT my prioity.  Im back and I am scheduled to do 9 miles this weekend.  We will see how taking off for a week will affect me, hopefully not too much.

How was your weekend?  Eventful?  Two days of nothing? 
One of these days, I will do that but I doubt it will be anytime soon.

Friday, January 28

So what.....

...If the kids wear PJs 2 nights in a row, we got a lot of laundry in our house

...If I hide veggies in there food, it gets them to eat them and I dont think its lying (I do it to the husband too)

...If I dont wash my hair daily.  If I do, it gets greasy, so Im on a once every 2-3 days routine and it works for me.  That doesnt mean I dont shower, I just dont wash my hair

...If I wear socks with crocs, my feet get cold, sue me

...If I want to have a lazy day and do nothing but sit on the couch, I deserve it every now and then

...If I dont like chocolate, it doesnt make me a freak

...If both kids know how to wipe their nose, even if it is on a blanket or whoever is near

...If I blog at work, I need a break from my email

...If I want a tummy tuck in a few years, my skin will not go back no matter how much I work out

...If the kids play ON the toilet, at least they are interested in the potty

...If I give the kids Gatorade, they like it and its not ALL the time

...Its Friday and thats good enough for me

Thursday, January 27

Im back, kinda

Ok so the last few days, our house can only be described as sickness.  Between me and the hubbs, its pretty gross around there.  The kids, somehow, havnt caught what we have/had and I sure hope they dont any time soon.  Ill spare you the details but ill tel you, its absolutely no fun.

Ive been trying to stay away from the kids, well not breathing on them, to make sure I dont give them what I got.  But because of this, the picture taking has come to a halt the last week or so.

So heres whats been going on, between bathroom trips.
  • We bought a potty, I think its time
  • Cole found his...ummm...errr....mini me and giggles when he touches it (I mean really found it)
  • Elyse now holds her bum when she sleeps
  • Cole gets a burst of energy every night right before bedtime in which he runs in circles around the living room till we say its time to go to nite-nite
  • Elyse is burping her baby while saying "Its ok, baby, its ok"
  • Cole is growling
  • Elyse has learned "Wake up" and what it means and tells anyone laying down to wake up
Ive got to get pictures of all of this, and I will work on it.
Even if i have to follow them around with a camera in their face 24/7

BUT can you look at these faces and NOT  want to take their picture?



I cant, unless Im running to the bathroom instead.

Wednesday, January 26

I am still here....

Ive been laid up in bed for the past few days, I will continue to update soon.

Friday, January 21

Yoga, Round 1

I finally took my first yoga class last night.  After hearing all about the benefits, I had to do it. 
The class started out as I expected, slowly  breathing in and out. 
In and out.
In and out.
Im a yoga virgin so I am clueless to what each pose is called and what Im supposed to be doing.  No biggie, the instructor should tell me what and when to move what.
This is where I got lost.  She moved so fast from one pose to the next and I couldn’t figure out what to do.  THEN she kept talking about how cold she was.  Yoga, to me, should be breathing  and stretching with very little talking, only guiding It wasn’t horrible, just wasn’t the best.
In addition to the instructor moving SOOO FAST, there were3 other people in the class with me.  The three of them were friends and kept talking.  They informed me that this instructor is not a good one and that I HAVE to come back next week. If they would have just stopped talking for 5 minutes, it might not have been so bad, not that it was bad, just not what I expected
So I will go again on Sunday (my long runs are set on Saturdays) and hopefully get another instructor.  I can see the benefits of the stretching and breathing and pushing my body in a different way.  Im hoping yoga will help with my runs. 
On another note, #36 of my 100 is now complete.
Im on my way.

Thursday, January 20

Baby's Little Helper

Is it natural for little ones to want to help with everything?  All day long I hear 'Ill get it', 'Ill fix it', 'Uh-oh, pick it up"  Its really helpful when I can say, Elyse take this to the trash or Cole pick it up and the both happily do what I ask.  I hope this lasts forever.

In the meantime, we have a mini-mommy on our hands.  The baby is carried everywhere.  The baby needs to go nite-nite (which Elyse puts her to bed by burying her in the couch.  The baby needs kisses goodnight and the baby needs her drink (in which Elyse slams the bottle in her face yelling dink baby dink)

Last night, Elyse decided to take the baby to the 'store'.  She put her in her seat and had her ready to go.  Then the baby was cold, so she covered her with a blanket.  She waved out the blanket to get it flat, dont know where she gets that from.


She covered her baby.



Then the baby got tired, so she covered her head.



 The rest of the night, she carried the baby in the carrier saying nite-nite, shhhhhhhhhhh baby sleeping.

She shhhed us because we were keeping the doll awake.

Tuesday, January 18

Miss Dangerous

Why is it that the girl is the dangerous one?  She has more marks on her legs and arms that Id like to admit.  She climbs, falls, laughs, and starts all over.  He is more hesitant.  He is cautious until he figures it out and then you cant stop him.

Fast food places with play areas worry me.  I feel like I have to climb up there with them to make sure they dont split their heads open (especially when bigger kids are around)  So last week, we made a play date.  We went to Chick-Fil-A because their play area is geared to the smaller kids.

As I figured, they would not leave my side.  So up the slide I went.  I showed them that it was ok and not to be scared.  After we went down the slide the first time, they, err she, no longer had fear.

She yelled AGAIN and took off.  Up and down, up and down, in this tunnel in that one, down the slide, climb back up.  She was happy.







He on the other hand was fine as long as I was with him.  For the most part he stayed on the ground.  He would occasionally climb up the first step and then immediately climb back down and play with the things on floor level.




Somehow I think shell be the first one to think she can fly.

Monday, January 17

Take too many pictures?

Something tells me we take too many pictures (if that is possible)

Every time I turn the camera on, it makes a noise.  The kids, well mainly her, yell CHEEESE as soon as the noise is heard.

She does the same thing with my phone.




Shes taking pictures of herself.

I think we have a future camera hog on our hands.

Sunday, January 16

Where does this piece go?

For Christmas, the kids got A LOT of stuff.  Too much stuff, ehh they are spoiled but at least they dont know it yet.  We have yet to put up ALL of the loot so some of it is still in bags by their ball pit (like books, puzzles, bubbles and other odds and ends)

The kids found the bag of puzzles and went hay wire.  Im not sure what age a kid 'gets' what a puzzle is or how it works, but Im saying that they are super smart, but they could be just where they need to be.  I ripped opened the puzzles and let them have at.

Immediately, Cole dumped the pieces.  Elyse laughed and did the same.  I then said ok pick up the pieces and put it back together.

Ok mommy, clean up clean up clean up  (thank you Lisa for teaching them this so early)

They then picked up all the pieces and put the puzzles back together, completely, BY THEMSELVES. They love those puzzles and Cole now carries it (with his tool box) everywhere.



Shes concentrating

Cole, put your tongue up.

Cole put your tongue up

 
Cole, please put your tongue up

Mommy, I cant hear you
Notice tongue is now in mouth.

Mommy, look at my head

Friday, January 14

Frozen Bush

It is cold here, real cold. Like below freezing cold.  As in everyone is wearing 5 t-shirts, 4 pairs of pants and hoodies because no one in Texas buys a real winter coat cold.  Its cold.

And it snowed
And it actually stuck to the ground

But with this snow, it hailed.  Then the hail melted and became ice, for a minute.

Thats the back story, which brings me to Tuesday.  We turned off our sprinklers because lets face it, I dont care if it is 'new' grass (planted in May)  its winter and it doesnt need to be watered right now. 

I only check the mail once a week.  Most of our bills are paperless so all we get are ads and junk.  So on Tuesdays, I drive to the front of the house to get the mail on the way home.  I turned down our street and looked at our house on the left.  I thought wow, 2 days and we still have snow caps on our bushes.  Then I got closer.  This is what I drove up to:








Thats right, frozen SOLID and only on one side of the house.  Turns out the connector that connects the timer and the hose split and started spraying water everywhere.  Who knows how long the water was running but it was long enough to put a 3in solid encasing on bushes.  Sigh, oh well, at least it looks pretty.

BTW, its Friday, they are STILL frozen.

Thursday, January 13

Lasers arent just for cats


Yes, we had them chasing the laser.
Yes, Cole flipped himself over
Yes, Elyse tried to pick it up several times and pet it
And yes, we laughed

Tuesday, January 11

You know you are a mom when....

...Your dishwasher is now filled with sippy cups and mini-silverware instead of beer mugs and shot glasses

...You find random toys in your purse, for example play keys and cat toys (which I have pulled out in public on more than one occasion

...You find that you have diapers and scooby snacks readily available instead of BC powder and Tylenol

...11 pm is late, I dont care what you say

...You go from dropping F-bombs to saying Ahh nuts, true story

...You say everything out loud (items at the grocery store, what the song is, what animal you just passed) and repeat what anyone says (only so your little one will understand)

...You are no longer 2 years old, you are 24 months (I am currently 347 months old)

...Poop no longer grosses you out (unless it is stuck in the drain and you have to DIG it out, again true story)

...You never get a hot meal

And finally,

You know you are a mom when you no longer look at strangers with judgement when  their 3 year old is screaming in the store for a candy bar.  Instead, you give that look that says I understand because you know that one day youll be in the same situation.

Monday, January 10

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was quite.

It was nice.

Saturday, I became someone else.  I never understood how people can scrapbook.  I never got how a person could cut our paper and glue/tape it in a book for HOURS. Until this weekend.

I was invited to scrap (Its the cool way to say it, didnt you know) from 10-4.  My first thought?  What am I going to do for 6 hours. Well the time flew by.  We didnt cut paper for 6 hours.  We talked.  We ate.  We talked some more.  It was nice.

And I completed my pregnancy book.



It took 2 years, but I finished it, finally.

Also, the baby books are just about done, up to date that is.  I have ordered the remaining prints I need and should finish them both in the next couple of weeks.  A girl can hope. 

Then I can start a scrapbook for their first year and whatever else I decide to come up with.


On another note, it snowed.

In Texas.

In January.

Is this gonna be another repeat of the 12 inches we got last year?  Probably not, but again, a girl can hope.

Friday, January 7

When is it too much?

At 5 AM this morning, I was at the gym.  I had sleep still in my eyes, walking in a daze, had on bright pink undies with hearts while I wore white shorts (dont judge, they were clean and if you have a problem with it, dont look at my rump) but I was there.

I was there to run 3 miles, per my training for the half I am running in March.

Im tired, but I was there.

To me, getting up at 4:45 AM to go run is dedication.  This might be normal for some people, but not this girl.  I like my sleep.  The plan wasnt to get up this morning, but I didnt want to move last night so I moved the run.  Im flexible like that.

The gym opens at 5 AM.  I walked in at 5:05.  Im half asleep and looking over at that treadmill, knowing that Im going to hate the next 30 minutes.

Then I look at the stair machines. 

Now I am all for working out and getting healthy.  I will never judge anyone who wants to better themselves, whatever their reasons.  But this morning, I could not help to think what in the hell people are thinking. 

How much is too much?  How skinny is too skinny?  Now Ive lost weight.  Im 5'1" and 5 pounds looks like a lot on someone my height (gaining or losing).  I have a goal weight number (128 if you wanna know) but Im more concerned with these certain pants I want to fit into so thats my real goal.  Yes Im losing weight, not a lot , but running 20+ miles a week will do it.  AND I eat ALL THE TIME, but come on it happens.  Ill tone and Ill slim and Ill lose.

BUT

What I saw this morning frightened me.  The gym was opened for 5 minutes, maybe  more if they let people in earlier, and this woman was bones.  BONES.  Not like marathon shape where its all muscle and no fat, bones with skin on.  My first thought was "Lady get off the stair master and go to McDonalds"  I couldnt help to think that it was too much, and honestly, it scared me a little.  I never want to look THAT skinny.  Smaller? Yes.  Toned? Yes  Like I need 14 cheeseburgers to survive? No

I really dont mean to judge, and it sounds harsh, and maybe there is a reason.  Maybe shes trying to gain muscle.  Maybe shes just that thin.  Maybe ...oh who knows.  I wont judge, just dont let me get there.

So I ask, when is it time to stop?  When should someone check in and say look, your pushing to much and your not healthy?

Just simply, when is it too much?

Thursday, January 6

Show me your parts

Dont be dirty, thats not what I mean.

Our Aunt (well the Hubb's Aunt, but I claim her too) bought Your Baby Can Read in the hopes to give the kids a head start.  It works great, even though we have slacked on the flash cards and just play the videos.  The kids randomly say written words when we pass and it amazes me.

For example, on the drive to IL last week, we stopped at a gas station to change diapers and let mommy pee.  So were in the restroom with the changing table and Cole looks at me goes "Mommy"
Me: "Yes Baby" (as Im hovering over the toilet)
Cole: "Baby?" (As hes pointing to the word baby on the changing table that had NO pictures)
Me: "Yes Cole that does say baby, good job"

Another day, a commercial came on and the word nose popped up and Elyse goes "Mommy NOSE" and ran away.  The TV was muted at the time so she read it.  Little victories, and its a start.

Back to the point.  In these videos, they play songs. The latest is "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees ant toes...." (I know your singing it now HA)

We have now made a game of it.  Cole wheres your nose?  Elyse show me your toes.  I keep trying to get it on video but they wont do it once I push play.  So this is what I got:

Cole wheres your mouth?
AHHHHH

Elyse, show me your eyes.



 Cole where are your ears?

Wheres mommy's toes?


I really need to get them all on video, but they just move too quick.

Wednesday, January 5

Wordless Wednesday

Lets go outside

Please put on your shoes

Come on mom, we werent done yet

Fine, we will just help ourselves to an engery drink

Tuesday, January 4

We got some bling

With going with the theme of  'to do something new', we turned our attention to Elyse.

After getting Cole's first hair cut, we decided to make her a girl, or at least look like it.  For awhile now, we have wanted to get her ears pierced but were nervous of how she would handle it.  We decided to go for it and see what happened.

Right before,
Say Cheese

Right after....


Told you suckers make EVERYTHING better

Maybe now, even when she is wearing PINK, we will complimented on how cute our baby girl is, not how cute our TWIN BOYS are.

Monday, January 3

New Hair-Do

We have been debating, well I have, on whether or not to cut Cole's hair.  I didnt want to cut his baby hair but the hubbs was tired of his duck tail that has appeared.

So I was pressured convinced agreed to go ahead and cut his baby hair for the first time.

This is his 'long' hair before.




This is our record of the butcher stylist cutting away his baby hair. She really did do a good job of trying to calm him because he was screaming, until she sang and we bribed him with a sucker.


I think he was feeling what momma was feeling, :(


Suckers make everything better



And after...

Not much change, hes still the cutest, just without a duck tail.