February 28, 2012

A quickie...

I just have to say.

I'm so excited!!!!

I hope everything goes smoothly.

Tell you all about it later!

Woohoo!!!!!!!!!

A few pictures...

Here are a few pictures from the month of February.

Some of our orchids

The prettiest little girl ever!

Me and my sweetie pie

The most handsome little dude 

Daddy and his puppy

Birthday Kirby.  5 years old!
(he looks very happy about the hat doesn't he?)

The kids opening their Valentine's Day treat bags


First time bowling!
such cute little shoes!

Hormones...and Disney...

I've been thinking about a post about hormones pretty much ever since Ryan was born.  Now two and a half years later here it is.  I have always been 'emotional'.  As a young girl I'm told I was fairly theatrical with my emotions.  I don't know if I was any more dramatic than other girls my age.  Though my mom may have a different opinion on that.  As I got older, into my teens, I became more temperamental, but what teen isn't?  I did dumb things and let my emotions get the better of me at times.  In my 20s nostalgia kind of took over.  I missed the way things were, tried to hold onto things too long and had a hard time moving on.  As with everything else in the world, each part of my life and all the emotions that went along with it helped me along the way, blah, made me who I am, blah, blah, better person.  Ok now that I got all that out of the way.  Lets move onto my late 20s and my 30s (all two years and a month) (but who's counting?)

Jasey and I got back together, got engaged and got married in a relatively short amount of time.  During this time I became very sentimental.  We were mushy and romantic, heck we were newly weds.  Apparently I'm pretty typical when it comes to emotions.

Enter the children.

And the hormones.

Pregnancy hormones are a completely different story.  Besides changing just about everything you learned about your body throughout your life from your hair to your skin to your ankle girth they totally play tricks on your mind.  I wasn't whacky but I could tell when it was pretty bad.  I would be irrational for no reason.  It would turn into anger and I would snap with a bitchy comment or snide remark.  I knew right away I was being unreasonable, so I'd take a deep breath and calm myself, then apologize, usually to Jasey.  I would be good for a while and keep an eye out for crazy Andrea.  It was a foolishly absurd roller coaster that I can laugh at now.  Luckily I wasn't too bad.  I don't think I was anyway, this time Jasey might be the one with the different opinion.

Even though I had my crazy times, pregnancy made my sentimental side even more prominent.  Though I was no longer just sentimental, I was sensitive.   Things that would make me reminiscent or misty eyed in the past had me out right sobbing now.  Sensitive and irrational, not a good combination.  I'd go from upset and teary eyed, to mad and bitchy then back to weepy, in no time.  Oh, how I miss being pregnant.  Really, I do.  If for no other reason that you can act like that while pregnant and you have the perfect excuse, you can't help it!  Awesome!  (Though there are many other reasons why I loved being pregnant)

I knew I would still have some crazy hormones after the kids were born.  With the breast feeding and the sleep deprivation and the general trying to figure out a new way of life, you know the hormones are there but they have become part of your life by that point.  No big deal.  So I get teary eyed when I see a picture of a baby chick, so what, they are cute.  So I cry when I try for the third time to get the bottle cap screwed on straight, whatever, it's frustrating.  So I end up as a blubbering snotty mess rolling around on the floor when I run out of my favorite kind of cereal...whoa, what?  Yeah, hormones, they sneak up on you.  (none of those actually happened to me, that I can remember, but they are pretty good examples, believe me)

My hormones hadn't quite leveled out after AJ and then I ended up pregnant with Ryan less than two years later, it wasn't a big deal.  You could even say it was normal.  Who knows I don't remember.  That's a great thing about pregnancy and childbirth you remember that parts of it sucked and you remember that parts of it hurt and you remember that parts of it really sucked and really hurt but when it comes right down to it you don't remember specifics.  I think that's the true miracle of parenthood.  During those first months, the long nights and no sleep help erase your memory so you think "that wasn't so bad I think I'll have another"

I am not pregnant nor do I plan to be, we are done.  I wouldn't be opposed to another (I kick myself as I say that) but we aren't planning on another so it would be a complete shocker if it happened.  Just in case anyone was wondering.  Anyway it's been two and a half years since Ryan was born.  The irrational, unreasonable Andrea has said her goodbyes.  The sentimental Andrea I think is here to stay which is fine, she's cool.  But it's that ultra sensitive Andrea that is trying to hang on.  Doesn't she know she was only supposed to be around to level out irrational Andrea?  Instead, I'm just a weepy, crying mess at odd times, luckily it's usually only when I am home.  Though sometimes weepy Dre doesn't do the best job of holding back when we are in public.  Freaking Andrea.

Which brings me to the whole point of this long, drawn out, babbling post.  I cry at everything!  I blame it on hormones but after two and a half years you would think that would all be worked out by now.  I always cry at Publix holiday commercials because face it those are good commercials.  The little Pilgrim people S&P shakers holding hands, adorable!  The 20 something kid that can't make it home for the holidays and when he walks into his apartment his entire family is there decorating.  Oh my, I'm crying as I write it.  There are songs that always get me, I don't hear them very often but when that one verse hits so do the tears.  There are stories of heroic little kids not much older then AJ who save their little siblings from burning buildings or attacking dogs.  Now I'm getting choked up.

These things are understandable.  I have a completely new view of families and being with the ones you love.  I have young children that I would be devastated if something happened to them yet so proud of if they helped a person in need at such a young age, especially their own brother or sister, talk about double whammy.  I may still be overly sensitive about these sorts of scenarios but I think it comes with the territory.

So, explain to me this...

Why is it that when I sit down and watch a movie like Toy Story 3, Astro Boy or Tinkerbell with the kids I end up just as much, if not more, of a blubbering mess as I do when hearing a touching true story.  Am I that out of whack that a made up story about toys on a mission or a robot boy or pixies will make me cry. Now don't misunderstand me.  I'm not talking that I get a little misty eyed because it's a nice story.  I'm talking tears and tissues and the only reason I'm not whimpering is so I don't scare the kids.

Maybe it's my flaw of putting human emotions on things and animals (I do this with Kirby) or my belief that anything is possible. So, when I see them played out as toys with fear and love in their eyes as they are about to be burned 'alive' or fairies that bring spring to the Mainland to magical music, it's easy for my mind to comprehend as truth or possibility, then my mind calls out 'cue the tear ducts!'  Immediately rational Andrea pushes her way back in rolling her eyes and gives sensitive Andrea time to gather herself together before kicking her in the behind and telling her to get with the rest of the bunch so we can finish the laundry.

Is it hormones?  Is it age?  Is it my still (kind of) new roll as mommy?  Or is it the Disney enterprise that has some sort of evil sickness to make moms everywhere cry so that our loving, nurturing side and our mommyness will make us buy more movies for our kids so that our kids will love Disney characters and then we will eventually have to take them to Disney World or be deemed as a bad parent?  That's probably it!  Oh look irrational Andrea stopped by to say 'Hi'.

Emotions and hormones.  They are a lot of fun.


February 23, 2012

Stuff From iWeb...


Starting out as High School sweethearts in 1996, Jasey and Andrea have now been married since January 29, 2006.  Our little babycakes, AJ, joined us on May 23, 2007.  To put it simply, he is absolutely amazing.  Our little girl, Ryan joined us on October 21, 2009.  We are excited to watch as she grows and further completes our family.  Kirby is our 110 pound Black Lab.  He is a big, goofy dope, AJ’s best friend and Ryan’s protector.  Tubby and Nala, our cats, are brother and sister and have been with us the longest.  They live on the second floor of our home.  Avoiding the dog is their main mission in life.  We are a family and we love every minute of it!



Yes, we have two wedding dates.  Yes, we have two wedding locations.  Yes, we have two marriage certificates.  No, we don’t celebrate both of them.  January 29th is our actual wedding anniversary, the date we celebrate.  That is the day that we had a big wedding with a reception and we were joined by family and friends.  On our honeymoon in Jamaica we decided to have another wedding, a small destination wedding, just the two of us, for fun.  We knew we would have the second certificate but ended up with more then we planned when we were featured on the front page of the Travel Section of our local newspaper, The Palm Beach Post, but it definitely adds to the memories!

AJ joined us at 7:33 pm.  He was born on his scheduled due date Wednesday, May 23, 2007.  The stinker was so large that he got stuck and was delivered by c-section.  This is not what mommy or daddy had planned but we knew we would rather have a healthy baby then have to worry anymore.  We had a great doc and couldn’t have been happier with the whole experience.  We love our little babycakes.  There is nothing in the world like a child, your child.  

We had a pretty normal rehearsal, as rehearsals go (no need to explain if you have ever been part of one), and we were missing one groomsman that was recovering from the bachelor party.  Then off to the rehearsal dinner at Saitos.  After flying shrimp, smoking onion volcanoes and a few sake bombs it was time to go home and rest up for the big day.  Jasey and I broke tradition and stayed together at our own place that night, we exchanged gifts the next morning before going our separate ways.  The ceremony was short and sweet and no one could hear it with all the wind!  The reception was a blast.  We wanted a party and that is what we got!  A small after party at the Bomb Squad and then to finish the night you will never imagine where I ended up in my wedding dress!  Well there are no pictures to prove it, so i’ll keep it a secret for now, you can always ask though!

We were engaged in NYC on a carriage ride thru Central Park.  Nene threw me an Irish themed bridal shower, Erin Go Braugh!  Lindsay and Lane put together my bachelorette party, a great night at Hugh Jorgans, that i will never forget...or never remember, depending on how you look at it.  Jasey’s bachelor party was two days before the wedding, so that his family from London could join in on the stag party :)  Our honeymoon to Jamaica was fabulous and I can’t wait till we go back (as long as Jasey doesn’t slice his foot open again!)  Margaritaville, Dunns River Falls, a private second wedding and unlimited drinks... fantastic-ness!!!

Labrador Retriever
Black
Male 
February 8, 2007
103 Pounds
Best Friend to AJ
Protector to Mommy
Wrestling Partner to Daddy
Terror to Tubby and Nala 
Unstoppable Energy
Loves Baseballs

I had an ultrasound one day and an appointment to see doc the next day, my due date.  The u/s showed everything was great, and on the previous appt, doc was optimistic to let everything just flow.  Due date appointment came and doc did not like what he saw.  True, we had a healthy baby, he was just a little too healthy, u/s showed 8 lb 14 oz.  We left the office at 10:00 with doc saying he would call in an hour, 11:00 on the dot my phone rang.  Says doc, “Be at the hospital at 1:00 to check-in”.  I guess I’m having a baby today! Check-in, wait, prepare, wait, wait...wait.  Then in no time, our 9 lb 10 oz bundle of joy was here!  Not at all how we pictured it but we couldn’t be happier!!!

Kirby joined our home on April 9, 2007 at 8 weeks old.  He weighed in at 21 pounds.  He was a water dog from day one, laying his head in his water bowl and falling asleep.  He never whined or cried, i think he felt like part of the family right away, that is certainly how we thought of him.  I miss the puppy but I love the dog :) 
Kirby could certainly drive us crazy without really trying but we knew that he was a very good dog.  Neither of us had ever had a dog before so it was new to everyone.  He caught on quick in training but liked to show his personality whenever possible, by trying to ignore us and doing what he wanted.
Kirby can still drive us mad but we couldn’t ask for a better dog.  He listens, most of the time, wants to be with us and never wanders too far.  If he feels something isn’t right he will sit as close as possible, on us if he can manage it, until he knows that everything is ok.  He is great with AJ and even as a puppy he understood that when AJ fussed I needed to take care of him, if I took too long he would look at me and then at AJ and back at me like ‘aren’t you going to do something about that?’  Kirby truely is AJ’s best friend, it amazes me to watch them play together, to see how fearless AJ is of Kirby and how gentle Kirby is with AJ.  

We had a fantastic time celebrating AJ’s birthday!  Friday was his real birthday and we started the celebrations with a party at Jasey’s office.  That night was dinner with mommy, daddy and momah and AJ’s first taste of cake, yummy!  Saturday we had breakfast and rested up.  Then Sunday was the big bash!  And of course more cake!  Hope you enjoy the pictures, we wish you all could have been there!  Thank you for all the birthday wishes!  









More Kids Stuff...

When ever you talk with AJ be ready for the longest, most drawn out, going around in circles conversation of your life.  If you are looking for an answer you will most likely be more confused than when you asked the question.  If you are looking for pure entertainment than you have certainly come to the right kid.

I admit I don't always have the time or the patience for his babbling.  I try my hardest to let him talk and get out what he has to say even if it's the same 3 statements repeated over and over with a 'but' in-between each one and then ended with a completely unrelated sentence and topped off with an exasperated chuckle.
Such as..."I do want to go to daddy's game but I am kind of tired but my puppy wants to go but my puppy will be lonely if he stays here but if I go to daddy's game then I will be tired but if I'm tired then  puppy will keep me company but I do want to go to the game but only if puppy can go, cause...pshh, then I will grow up and talk like daddy!"

Seriously!  It didn't go on from there because my eyes were starting to cross and I had to cut him off.  These are the sort of things I wish I could get on film (haha, film) but every time I turn on the camera they both instantly shut up and want to look at themselves on the screen.  Oh, at what age do they figure that out?

Yesterday I got Ryan dressed in a long sleeve Miami Hurricanes shirt and a little pleated khaki skirt.  It is very pleated almost like a cheerleading skirt.  So she looked kind of like this little UM cheerleader, very cute.  But after she got her skirt on she looked down at it then spun around on her toes and said "I'm a princess"  It was so adorable!  She is crazy one minute she is all tom boy playing with cars and 'guns' and the next minute she wants to wear dresses and watch Tinkerbell.  She gets it from her mama.  :)

She is still a stumbly little girl.  I think a lot of it has to do with her feet, she is quite pigeon toed.  Her left foot is worse than her right.  She will trip a lot, more so with shoes on and definitely when she is tired.  She very rarely actually gets hurt though.  She'll fall down and sit for a second to see if anything hurts then as she's getting up we'll ask "are you ok?"  She stands up and brushes off her hands and says "yes, I'n d'ok Mommy"  cutest thing ever!  Today when she fell I asked her if she was alright instead of ok.  She replied "yes, I'n alright"  so I asked again "you're ok" and she said "yes, I'n alright"  It's awesome to see and hear them understand what you are asking and respond correctly.  But then of course it makes you that much angrier when they pretend not to hear or understand you later, grrr.

AJ knows that his birthday is coming and that he will be 5, though I sometimes use it as a kind of leverage...?  He still sucks his thumb when he is tired and going to sleep.  He has never been an all day everyday thumb sucker I am grateful for that.  But I've been telling him that he needs to start trying to stop because he will be 5 soon and 5 year olds don't suck their thumbs.  I try not to tell him "you have to stop, that's it just stop."  I want it to be something that he is a part of.  I bite my nails forever and even though people tried to 'help' by telling me to stop it got to the point that I wanted to do it just because they told me not to.  Can you say stubborn?  Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.  Usually it depends on the mood he's in to begin with.  If he didn't get a good nights sleep and is sucking his thumb on the way to school he'll just say I don't want to turn 5, I'm going to stay 4.  Usually when I tell him "you are sucking your thumb you must be tired so go to bed", he'll stop, but again it can back fire.  Sometimes he'll go to bed but usually it'll start an all out war/melt down which proves he is tired but instead he fights it.

Ryan is at the age that AJ was when he started completely rejecting the stroller.  She is not quite there yet but I can see it fast approaching.  She always prefers to walk on her own but will usually sit, at least for a while, with no problem.  Then she gets her arms out of the straps and stands on her tippy toes on the ground still buckled around the waist and walks the stroller around.  Curse the times we need to get her out for any reason because there is no hope of getting her back in that thing.  She does the typical and oh so fun screeching and arching her back so you have to choose between covering her mouth or forcing her into a sitting position so you can buckle her in and hightail it out of wherever you are.  I really don't mind her walking around when it's just me and her or when all four of us are out because then someone can keep an eye on each of them.  She is still just so headstrong and doesn't always listen.  I think AJ had more practice by this point but he knew to stop at roads and look both ways and if mommy or daddy said 'too far' he would sot pane wait for us or turn around and walk towards us.  Ryan just laughs and keeps running, usually around corners.  I can't wait for the day that I can get rid of the stroller but I don't see it being anytime soon.  If I'm lucky it'll happen before she turns three!

So there are some more fun facts about the kids.  I will be transferring some of the 'blogs' that I wrote on the family picture site onto this site.  I am not very computer savvy and still don't totally understand what is happening with iWeb.  All I know is that if for some reason in the future I lose that site that will be fine, it's mostly pictures and I have all of those but there are some things that I wrote like about when Ryan was born that I would like to still have.  So, anyway if you read some weird post about how I'm 32 weeks and carrying high, now you'll know it's from 2 years ago.

Festivities...

Most people get to relax coming out of the holidays.  For us things are just getting started.  Most of January is calm and then it hits us.  Our anniversary, then my birthday, then two weeks later Valentine's Day (not really a big deal in our house), then another two weeks is my moms birthday.  Throw in a few friend birthdays and it's nutty.  Oh who am I kidding, every year is crazy, every month of the year.  It keeps things exciting!  Moving right along...

January 29th Jasey and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.  (Yes I'm getting to it now, three weeks late is actually good, for me.)  Year six is 'Iron', so I ordered us this...


I know each of the metals isn't actually iron.  I had limited options, but I made sure to get a few in there.

We actually went out on the 28th for dinner.  My mom came and spent that night with the kids and Jasey and I headed out for dinner just the two of us.  It was a wonderful dinner, which we almost didn't make.  We were talking and missed our exit, oops.  We had to travel a ways to be able to turn around and head back to where we wanted to be.  Luckily it didn't add too much extra time.  I am slightly upset with myself because I didn't take any pictures that night, very unlike me.  Though, lately I have been horrible about taking pictures, I never remember!

We went to Houston's Steakhouse.  Jasey wanted a good steak and neither of us had ever been there but had heard great things.  We each had a few drinks, woohoo! and a great meal.  I didn't not overstuff myself like I did on New Years, but it was close.  We then headed across the street to Cheesecake Factory for dessert.  It had been a long time since I'd had cheesecake, it is one of my downfalls.  I love cheesecake!!!  I don't remember what kind Jasey got and neither does he because we both loved mine.  Red Velvet Cheesecake, it was so good, I could have eaten a whole cake by myself...then I would have been in pain!  We each had a another drink with dessert and that was pretty much it.  I know we are an exciting bunch right?  I was yawning pretty much the whole night.  Not that I was tired or bored with my company, not at all!  Anytime I am not around the kids or they are quiet and calm (i.e. sleeping) I start to yawn.  After 5 years I guess my body has trained itself to shut down when there is no more hustle and bustle.

The next day was our actual anniversary, we celebrated my birthday that day.  All sorts of backwards, huh?  Jasey and I headed to Target to wander, pick up stuff for dinner and so that Mom, AJ and Ryan could decorate for my 'Surprise Party'.  AJ loves to decorate for parties.  He tries to convince me to have parties all the time for just about everything.


He wanted to have a surprise party for his Mr. Potato Head the other day and said that he was going to invite a 1,000 people.  I'm glad I talked him out of that one!  When we got home I was 'surprised'! as any mother of a 2 1/2 and an almost 5 year old should be.  This picture was taken after the initial surprise and is also the third take of my 'surprised face' not my best work.


We got the kids each a soccer ball and played outside while cooking out for dinner.



Neither the hats nor the kids were really cooperating during the pictures.  The strings kept popping off so I had to hold the hats and we were trying to coax the kids to look at the camera with the cake.  It didn't really work.  


Cill and Jared joined us for cake.  Please excuse the blurry counter top in the foreground.  I really need to get a tripod.  


Mom made goodie bags for me (giggle, giggle) and the kids. So for the first time the kids were introduced to silly string.  It was everywhere.  AJ had a good time with it, I think Ryan mostly ran and hid.


Ryan was exhausted but didn't want to give up her soccer ball so she fell asleep with it on her face.


I still had my actual birthday two days later, but don't get too excited, it was a Tuesday.  After AJ got out of school Mom, Ryan, and I went and picked him up and we all went out to lunch.  I couldn't decide between two things so I got them both and took one home for dinner, since Jasey had a game that night and I was going to be chilling by myself.  The kids went down easy that night and a little early so I got to eat my leftovers and watch TV and read and whatever else I wanted to do.  I finished the coquito and all sorts of other crap that was in the fridge since I told myself 'no more starting tomorrow'.  It was my own personal birthday binge.  So here I am 32 years old, HI!   


My 30s haven't been bad.  I didn't dread turning 30 as most people do and while, yes, most of them (all two years) have sucked so far, I don't blame age or even life for that.  We got dealt quite a few crappy hands and for that I blame Jasey's jack-hole of an ex-boss.  I have nothing to complain about in my 30s.  I've lost 61 pounds and counting.  I love my family, my friends, my husband and my kids.  I wouldn't change any little bit of any of them.  Though things may be hard sometimes it's nothing earth shattering, we always make it through somehow.  Thirty-two has been good to me so far, all 23 days of it.  Funny enough, most of last year I thought I was 32.  I was telling people I was 32.  I even wrote that I was 32 on papers at the doctors office.  I felt like such a doofus crossing it out and correcting it, I didn't even know my age!  So this year when I actually turned 32 it was almost like I gained an extra year.  That'll make you feel young again!  There are all sorts of things to look foreword to this year and in the future.  Now instead of wondering whats going to happen to us and cringing at every turn, I am excited to hear about the next step and can't wait to see whats around the corner.  

Quickly...Jasey had another game on Valentine's Day.  No big deal, I hosted my first Bunko game that night.  (see Valentine's Day not a big deal around these parts)  I had a great time.  I joined this Bunko group a few months ago through my friend Dawn.  They were missing a host for this month and being one of the newest members I hadn't hosted yet so I volunteered.  I mostly stuck with a Valentine's theme but went a little different route and did a 'Guilty Pleasures' theme instead.  Chocolate, wine and sparkly things, what girl wouldn't love at least one part of a night like that on Valentine's Day.  

We had a weekend of birthday parties too.  First was Alex's Bowling Birthday Party on Saturday.  It was AJ and Ryan's first time bowling and they both really liked it.  The bumpers were up and there was a ramp out for the kids to use.  And the little tiny bowling shoes were so cute!  Happy Birthday to the newest 4 year old!


Then on Sunday was Dylan's Playmobil Knights Birthday Party.  It was fun and easy and just what Dawn was looking for at 7 months pregnant.  Pizza, cake, music, fun and a whole room full of Playmobil sets to play with.  What kid wouldn't have a blast!  Happy Birthday to the newest 5 year old!


Next up we have Momah's birthday!  Not sure yet what we are doing but there have been talks of more cheesecake, mmmmm!


  

  










February 15, 2012

Right Down the Middle...

I've never been much of a magazine reader, after about 3 months you can tell they are doing the same five stories and trying to put different twists on them each time.  There are the pages and pages of make up and beauty tips, I'm lucky if I have time/remember to put on lip gloss everyday.  They always have the fashion tips and the 'looks for less' segments, you know where they take a celebrity look that costs more than my entire wardrobe and make it 'affordable'.  So instead of a $500 shirt, they find one that looks nothing like it and is obviously much cheaper looking but it  gives you the same 'style' and for the bargain price of only $325!  Wow it's a miracle, let me run out and buy two!

There was a time though in middle school and high school that I got into magazines.  I was a teenage girl and it was the thing to do.  I never did 'Tiger Beat' or 'Teen Magazine' I was a rebel, at 13 years old I went straight for "Seventeen'.  Then by the time I turned 17 I'd moved onto 'Cosmo'.  At one point I may have had a subscription but mostly I bought them at the store when I saw someone on the cover that I liked.  I can't for the life of me think who that may have been at the time...

I guess you could say my favorite part of the whole magazine thing (aside from the horoscopes of course) were the quizzes.  My friends and I would listen as one person read each question and then marked down everyones answers.  I would usually try to add on an option 'D' to each question because none of the answers sounded very me, they were all so extreme and stupid.  Anyway, after all of our points were added up we would find out how much of a diva we were, or how honest we were or how funny we were, whatever secrets that months' quiz held for us.  It was edge of your seat excitement I tell you.

Then just as with everything else in these magazines I started to see a pattern.  I was always in the middle.  I was never so much of a diva that people thought I was bitchy but I wasn't a wall flower either.  I liked the limelight but knew when to let other people have their moment.  I wouldn't tell the truth to every little thing especially if I knew it would hurt you but I didn't cower in the corner and avoid conflict.  I knew when to tell people the truth and when to keep my mouth shut.  I wasn't so overly funny that I got tagged as class clown but I didn't let jokes fall flat and walk around with a sour puss face.  I knew the importance of a properly timed one liner and I knew when to leave the joking at home.  Yet again my magazines became predictable.  It got to the point that I didn't even take the quiz I just read the middle result and said 'yep, thats me'.

I am still that way to this very day.  Right down the middle.   I've realized that always being in the middle has also given me the ability to do things like step back and see things from more than one angle, meet and become friends with a wider range of people or take the time to decide the best course of action.  In short I'm a very open minded person, which I think is a great way to be!

I've met new people that after a while of knowing me tell me that I am the most out going shy person that they have ever met.  I guess that makes me an extroverted introvert.  Or maybe an introverted extrovert.
Either way I'm slightly mysterious and very whacky.  Aquarius all the way!  One of my favorite words used to describe Aquarians is eccentric.  Great word.  Eccentric - a person of unconventional and slightly strange views or behavior.  Awesome!  Couldn't explain myself better if I tried!


 

February 10, 2012

Things the Kids Do...

When AJ is done with a meal he is supposed to ask if he may get down and go wash his hands.  This happens maybe half of the time.  Even if he doesn't ask to get down though he usually still remembers to take his plate and cup to the sink and go was his hands.  As they say you have to pick your battles.

Ryan is strapped into her booster seat so she has caught on and says "Mommy, all done.  Get-a-down please. Wash a hands?"  It's very cute and I am so thankful that she is just about broken of the high pitched squealing when she wants your attention.

Recently AJ has decided that when he is done so is Ryan.  He goes to the pantry, gets a wipee, 'cleans' Ryan's hands and face, unbuckles her and gets her down.  Today after breakfast he even helped her put her milk cup back in the fridge.  I love when they do cute little brother sister things together.

Ryan loves NI-Hao, Kai Lan and knows most of the words to the videos we have.  Timing, inflections, all the parts for all the characters, all the songs, everything.  She sings along to the Fresh Beat Band and MC Shy-D's 'Shake It'.  She is also learning some DJ Laz.  My kids love hip-hop, rap and spanish music, it cracks me up.

I've come to terms with the fact that Ryan will probably never be a dancer, she does not have dancer feet, poor girl got daddies feet.  I have noticed though that in addition to being very musical she does like dancing and is very quick at picking up steps and moves.  The Fresh Beat Band has a video call "Like a Rock Star" both of them sing along to it but Ryan is always saying "come on AJ (or mommy or whoever is around) lets dance" and she starts doing her cute little flamenco hop step.  Then I realized that at certain times in the song she would stop and do a certain little move always at the same time in the song.  She was doing the same movement that the band was doing in the video!  I watched her one time during the closing theme song of the Fresh Beat's regular show and she was doing arm movements and turns with them while they were doing their dance with the song.  Maybe she will be a dancer after all! woohoo!

I don't know how many times I can say it but AJ seriously is a musical kid.  Now I don't think that he is a prodigy or anything and I am not going to push him to do something just because I think he would be good at it.  But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he ended up on...say...broadway.  I know that it would be something I would have to start working on now (which I'm not going to do) but if he decided to do it on his own, man I would be one proud mama to see him singing on stage.  I know nothing about singing voices so I'm not saying he has a wonderful voice but I do know music from a dancers point of view and the kid has an ear for music.  He can carry a tune, hears all the tempo changes, learns lyrics quickly and easily, understands different types of music and the feelings.  He just really enjoys music.

AJ is totally infatuated with Cars 2 at the moment.  He would watch the movie all day every day if I let him.  I think he has seen the first movie once or twice but we don't own it.  I'm curious if he would like it as much as he likes this one.  He walks around humming 'M M Mmmmmmm, M M Mmmmmmm, M M M M M M  Mm, Mm, Mmmmmmmmmm.'  He says it's the Finn McMissile spy song.

Ryan will grab anything that she thinks slightly resembles a gun and walk around with it making her shooting noise 'chuu, chuu, chuchu'.   I wonder where she got that from.  (sarcastic eye roll)

AJ loves the colors red and green.  He will usually say that his favorite color is green but about a third of his wardrobe is red.

Ryan is a conflicted little soul, she loves Toy Story, Cars and Super Heroes because of AJ but is infatuated with Princesses, Tinkerbell and of course Kai-Lan.  If given the choice of clothing she will say she wants to wear a dress and then will pick out a skirt, close enough.  She does love shoes (AJ did too) but to her shoes means she is getting in the car.  I love how kids minds work, just wish I understood it a little more sometimes.


Laundry...

As a general rule, I don't like doing laundry.  Really though, who does?

Now I know I shouldn't complain because honestly, laundry really isn't that bad.  Think about it.  You get to throw your clothes around as you put them into piles.  Then you shove them in a big basin and it magically fills with water in any temperature and level you desire.  They get sloshed around and spun like crazy without any effort from you and the machine even buzzes to let you know it's done.  Then you shove all the wet clothes into a drum which spins them around and around till they are dry, hot and fluffy.  This thing also buzzes to let you know it's job is done!

Compare that to having to take your clothes down to a stream and scrubbing them on a washboard or beating them against a rock, wringing the crap out of them with your hands and then hanging them out to dry and praying like hell that it doesn't rain.  Laundry doesn't sound so bad now does it?

Actually I don't mind the sorting, washing and drying and even folding the laundry doesn't bother me.  It can be tedious and hot if you are folding right out of the dryer.  Sometimes the washing machine is too fast for the dryer and you get backed up or you forget about a load and have to rewash it.  All just normal hiccups in the laundry mania.  Part of me enjoys the neatness of folding everything and putting it into four  little piles.  Hanging up the shirts to correspond with the piles so everything can be easily grabbed and put in their proper places...

Places...here is where my dislike of laundry really begins.  Putting everything in it's place.  I hate putting away laundry.  It is the worst part of laundry.  It is a lot easier now that we have our own space again but it still doesn't make the task enjoyable.  A few times while at moms I wouldn't put laundry away for a couple weeks.  I would put everything into the laundry basket after I folded it and we would dig through the basket.  If I needed the basket (for more dirty laundry) I would re-sort and refold and put everything in more piles on the bed, then that night I would stack the piles on the desk or on top of the dresser or on a shelf in the closet.  I. Hate. Putting. Laundry. Away.

Everyone in our household doesn't have that much in the way of clothing.  I think Ryan and AJ each have more clothing then I do and most of Jasey's clothes are for work.  Then add the fact that Jasey and I have each dropped a few sizes over the past year and there goes another good portion of our wardrobes.  So when I do laundry each persons pile is only a few pieces for each color load.  But add four people together (one of which is a 2 year old that still tries to lick things off of her spoon instead of sticking the spoon in her mouth) (another being a 4 year old that runs around like a crazy man sweating, uses his shirt as a napkin and has discovered the joy of changing his clothes three times a day) (the third works out 3 times a week and plays softball twice a week) and next thing you know in 2 days time you have more laundry than you should in two weeks!  It multiplies!

Laundry mating, no one sees it happen but everyone sees the result.

*Sigh* now excuse me while I motivate myself to go put away the stacks of clean laundry and gather the beginnings of the next round of dirty laundry...it's a vicious cycle.





 

Right Now...

As I am writing this the kids are sitting at the kitchen table eating noodles for dinner.  So healthy and nutritious, I know, but right now it is something that they will eat.  I think that is better then sticking something else in front of them that they don't even touch.  At least with the noodles I know that when they ask to get down their bowls will be clean and their bellies will be full.  AJ asked for noodles a few months ago because they were eating them on Ni-Hao, Kai Lan (which is Ryan's absolute favorite right now, move over Disney Princesses!)  I decided to give the noodles a try, they were a big hit and the kids haven't gotten sick of them yet.  They don't eat them all the time but it's a quick easy go to when I need it.  He asked for dumplings on another occasion, they didn't go over so well.

I need to go grocery shopping because we have slightly more than a whole lot of nothing in the house.

Ryan climbed up next to me and is playing eskimo noses with me, tickling my cheek with a Mater Squinkie and kissing my shoulder.

I am making turkey chili for dinner because it doesn't take a lot of prep and I'm all for that!

AJ is singing the closing theme song to the Backyardigans, he really is a very musical kid.

Ryan has rediscovered her love of climbing on everything and at the moment her favorite thing to climb on is the back of the couch.  I know the couch won't last forever so i'm not crazy like "you are going to ruin it!" I'm more worried about the fact that they have no concept of getting hurt until they actually get hurt.  The whole house is tile and I don't want to take anyone to the hospital with their head split open.

AJ has been a little out of sorts lately, pretty much since he went back to school ofter the holidays.  Yesterday he wasn't listening at school and lost his lunch privileges for today (school is only till noon and two days a week they get to stay after school and have lunch with their classmates, AJ stays Tuesday and Thursday)  His teacher has also noticed that he's been different though she says some of it is because it's getting towards the end of the year.  She said every year as the older kids get closer to Kindergarten they start to kind of act out but that AJ and his buddy are starting slightly sooner than normal this year.  Leave it to them to be different!  (I know this isn't the only reason)

Jasey just got home (it's six o'clock) but is grabbing AJ and heading out to go visit his mom.  Ryan and I are going grocery shopping.

Have a good night!