Austin and his new Grill!!

Austin got his braces yesterday and did very well. He didn't get his entire mouth done (yet). I have never had braces, nor did I ever realize how much those tiny little pieces of metal cost!! He wasn't in pain. My checkbook did cry a couple times!!

We are still planning on moving tomorrow so it will be a busy weekend.

Before Braces

After Braces

Do you have a mouse taped to your chest??

WARNING!!! THIS IS WEIRD AND GROSS (NOT TO MENTION FUNNY, AT LEAST TO ME AND THE REST OF MY FAMILY). I GUESS IT COULD EVEN BE EMBARRASSING.

Someone in this home leaves the hugest clumps of hair in the shower. I have theories, but I won't say who. I don't think it's me since I never get to shower (hehehehe), and it's probably a combination of the 3-4 adults that shower here "regularly"(hehehehe). HOWEVER, from what I have been able to tell over the past month and a half, if I were not cleaning these clumps out, they would now be the size of a small dog.

Anyway, last night the boys needed to take a bath so I started the tub. Here comes one of those clumps ( this is so gross!!), so I scoop it out and set it on the underwear that Jacob has just taken off. I was going to fling it over into the trash and be done with it. I WAS!!! Austin scoops it up, lifts his shirt up and sticks it under his arm!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He dreams of the day he finally has armpit hair. Well, being the weirdo that I am (not that I would put that stuff on my body), I run and grab some tape (you know, mainly so the hair isn't falling off on the floor). We tape his armpit hair on and he goes around the house showing it off. That fun wears off and we tape it to his chest. He shows it to Ralph and Ralph asks him why he has a mouse taped to his chest. I don't know why this stuff is funny to me, it just is.

The hair did finally end up in the trash. Unlike the hair from Austin's haircut a few months ago. He had gotten pretty shaggy, so there was alot of hair cut off. He asked the beautician if he could keep a ball of it. She looked at me and I said "whatever". She already had an idea that he was weird when he asked her for pork chop sideburns. Anyway, this ball of blonde hair came home with us. It stayed nice and "bally" for most of the day since he had asked her to apply lots of hairspray to it, but by the end of the day, the ball of hair had babies and was beginning to shed. I chunked it.

Today will be an interesting day. Austin gets BRACES!!! Poor thing has had so many teeth problems. One of his front baby teeth (which most kids seem to have lost by 1st grade school pictures) never would come in. Low and behold, we get an x-ray that tells us there is an extra tooth up in there keeping the other from coming down. So we have surgery to remove the extra one and make a better channel for the other to come down. That was last year and still no permanent tooth. So, now we go for partial braces to see if we can't open up enough space to make it come in. If it doesn't come down, we go for more surgery to attach a bracket to that to "drag" it down. If that doesn't work, I guess he gets a fake tooth. That is the worst case scenario.

Oh, I have a HOUSE UPDATE!! We are supposed to close on the house this Friday!!!!!Woooohoooo. I'm a little nervous about getting too excited. I can't think of anything at all that should hold us back, but I know these things can happen. If it gets cancelled I'm gonna freak. If it does, I'm going to make Ralph call the banker and pretend to cry. I think that would have more impact that me crying.
These could be the last of my blogs for a bit. Not sure how we will live with dial-up internet. I know that Ralph has already checked into a satellite service so maybe that will work better.

Oh, I have a HUGE CLUMP OF HAIR UPDATE too: I used my scientific skills to come to a conclusion about that hair. I was the last person to take a shower last night and Ralph has taken a shower this morning and there is NO huge clump of hair. Of course, everyone loses hair when they shower. I notice it more because I am the cleaner of the bathroom. In the old house, I used to wonder if Ralph was going bald, but apparently, when one hair falls out, 18 more grow in it's place. That man has the thickest dark brown hair with not a touch of grey. I contribute that to working outside of the home.

Tootles!!!

It's Cold!!!!

What do people in Texas do when it FINALLY drops below like 70 degrees? They break out the winter clothes, sweaters for their dogs, chili meat and stew meat!! I know that people up North think we are crazy down here (I have been told so).
Now do we buy into to all of that? YES WE DO!!

We didn't bring any winter clothes to Gaga's house. We were only planning on being here for 2-3 weeks, not almost two months. Yesterday, it was easier to pick up some warmer clothes for the kids than it would have been to brave the depths of the shop where all of our stuff is stored.

We needed to make a "quick" trip in to Katy anyway to pick up a "bunky" board for the other set of bunkbeds and to pick up a Jacob from Oma's house. He spent Sunday night there.

Ramone got to go with us. I just stuck him in the front pocket of my hoodie and he enjoyed the trip. I was a little afraid that someone might see him and tell me there were no pets allowed, but I was going to tell them that I was a celebrity cuz they all do it!!

We ran our errands and headed on back to Columbus. I had two different people call and tell me to go to Walmart because they had just put out a bunch of doggie sweaters, so, of course, we had to go. We bought a cute little (XXS) sweater for Ramone and, when it's not freaking him out, it's keeping him warm. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be buying clothe for a dog. I hardly buy clothes for myself.

For some reason Jacob gets sooooo wound up after spending the night with Oma. It's not like she lets him run wild at her house. We haven't quite figured out why he is so difficult to deal with after spending the night away. This time was no different and, since there is a new puppy to play with, he seemed even more wound up.

I got dinner started, stew of course. The stores were PACKED yesterday with people preparing for this "blizzard". I prayed for the cleaning fairy to come and straigten up the house a bit. I got the new clothes in the wash and, when I realized the cleaning fairy wasn't coming, tried my hardest to get some work done. Not that taking two kids and a puppy (and Gaga) shopping isn't work, I just feel like I've accomplished nothing when I haven't been at home all day.

Poor Ralph, he walks in the door, comes to kiss me, and then goes to Jacob's room to give him a hug and a kiss. The door is locked. We tell him to unlock the door and ask him what he has been doing. When Jacob says "NOTHING", we know to expect SOMETHING. Well, one look at the fish tank and we could tell. He had poured about 1/2 of the fish food into the tank (if not more). So, instead of relaxing for a bit, Ralph sets to work cleaning out the fish tank.

Nana shows up, we finish cleaning what we could of the fish food from the tank, resume dinner, and then eat. Jacob is wild. Then the cops show up!!! Guess they heard all of the yelling. It was so loud with all of the commotion around here. NOT REALLY. I mean, yes, it was loud and there was alot of commotion, but the police were just here to visit. Mom is friends with a police officer named Gary, and Ralph was once a police officer here and worked with the Seargant. There really isn't always much for them to do in a little town like this, especially when it's cold. I guess all of the criminals are inside (I consider it good, when the cops are bored with not much crime). We visited for a while. I asked to borrow their taser gun and handcuffs. They finally left around nine, we tasered the kids and sent them to bed and then got to "relax" for a bit.

Yesterday was definitely one of the days I consider "tube-tie" days!!!

Halloween is almost here!!

Halloween has snuck up on me this year. I figured we would be settled in our new house and I would be able to take some time figuring out costumes and such, but, if we are in by then, I doubt we will be what I consider "settled".

I generally try to make the guys costumes unless they insist on a GOOD store bought costume (not the kind where you have ripped the back open to reveal your undies by the end of trick-or-treating). We have done pirates, puppies, telephone men, and dinosaurs (my personal favorite). Austin really doesn't want to be much this year beside a "studio owner". He'll have to pick that costume. He is getting a little past the dress up point. Nicholas can't really pick and mommy doesn't have her sewing machine set up, so he is going to be an alligator because we have a costume that Nana bought on clearance one year. Jacob wanted to be a puppy. For weeks that is all he would say. I remember this being the age where Austin wanted to be a bear. He insisted on being a bear. That is all we heard. We found a bear hooded towel and attached arms to it and he was the cutest little bear with overalls.

We looked at puppy costumes on the internet (knowing that Austin's old puppy costume would be too big for Jacob). All of the ones we showed him were wrong because he wanted to be "Rico". That is the puppy name the boys call each other (?). Finally we landed on a dalmatian costume and he said "that's Rico". Well, I know my Jacob and, if I spend $40 bucks on a puppy costume he is going to refuse to put it on. He will say it's too hot and he will NOT put the hood over his head.

I decided to pull out the costume box from the shop where all of our stuff is stored. I almost got stuck getting it out and I was going to have to live in the shop until we started moving stuff into the house. Glad Ralphie was there.

Jacob was napping so I set out various things, hoping he would choose one. We set out the alligator, the bear (although Jacob is scared of overalls, so he would have to be a bear wearing jeans), a little construction vest and hat that Austin got from Legoland and the, too big, puppy costume. We figured if he picked the puppy we could somehow make it fit. Well, he didn't care for anything. He freaked when Nana tried to put the puppy head over him. He said it was too hot. AAAH HAAA. Money well-saved. He wouldn't try the bear. Mommy used her marketing skills to talk-up the construction vest. I told him that he could be "Construction Worker Dave" (a goofy guy from one of his DVDs). It worked, so Jacob is going to be a construction worker. Of course, people are going to ask him if he is Bob the Builder, just like they did when Austin was a telephone man, and he is going to get insulted and yell at them.

This Halloween stuff reminds me of a story. When Austin was about 4, I bought my first sewing machine. I sewed some throw pillows, but nothing much more complicated than that. Austin kept saying that he wanted to be a "light switch" for Halloween. We were at Lowe's one day, buying light switches and plugs and he tells the cashier, "I'm going to be a light switch for Halloween. My mom knows how to sew." Well, Ms. Personality, just kind of looked at him, and I sweetly told him "Honey, I only know how to sew pillows right now." He quickly looked back up at her and said, "I'm going to be a pillow for Halloween."

***NOTE***Austin was not actually a pillow for Halloween, but since I still only sew pillows, and the occasional valance or Christmas stocking, someone may get to be a pillow one year.

Weekend in Pictures.

Ramone takes a drive in his little car!
Jacob and his newly aqcuired snake
Jacob putting the snakes head in his bellybutton!!!!

Once again, our busy weekend is over. Ralph will go back to work and relax.
We got alot done this weekend. I have been refinishing a kitchen table and chairs and FINALLY finished them up. We needed a round table to fit into our breakfast area. I had looked at a few at Antique weekend in Warrenton, but wasn't going to pay over $1000 bucks for a table that would soon have holes from forks and inexplicable goop that has to be scraped up with a knife. I don't know about other people's kids, but Jacob is hard on a table. I'm also into the distressed look so I figured I would have a go at refinishing a really nice set I bought from a lady on Craigslist. It did turn out pretty cool.

I did pick up an old headboard and vanity stool at Warrenton and those were a different story. I paid $75 bucks for the headboard and footboard and, after all is said and done, it should be worth about $2000 bucks. Of course, that includes 2 things of stripper, I don't know how many cans of mineral spirits, and what seems like 200 hours of labor between my mom and I. Halfway through stripping this thing I said "I give up!!!!" The paint was not stripping well (the headboard and footboard have large posts that are "spindle-like" with LOTS of grooves. Ralph said "that is fine, we can get something else for the guestroom." I was ready to take that offer, but Mom talked me out of it. She said that we had to finish it; we couldn't just toss our treasure. She even spent some time stripping and sanding after I left. Well, after all is said and done, it's looks pretty good. If you come to my house and think it looks crappy, just don't say it out loud. I will cry. Then I will call my mom and we will both cry and our fingers will hurt in rememberence of the blood, sweat and tears that went into our project. And we will never like you again.

The boys always have a great time at Nana's. If you are wondering where Jacob got this snake, he told us he took it from the cats. Brave man. Very brave. The last time I saw one of the cats with a snake in town, it was a Coral snake (not the fake kind, the red on yellow, kill a fellow kind). Did I ever mention that the cat's name is Jacob? Jacob named his cat Jacob. We call him "Jacob Cat" to distinguish whom we are speaking to. Jacob (the boy) did get a lecture about just taking a snake from a cat or playing with any snake. This one was just a grass snake and probably not putting up much of a fight anymore after being played with by the cats. It was alive though.

So, if you are 3 and you have a snake what do you do with it? Well, you let it stick it's head in your belly button, of course!!! I was terrified of snakes when I was a child. I still don't really care for them, but when Jacob dropped it in the grass and couldn't find it, who do you think picked it up for him?? I did!!! I didn't really even think about it, until after I did it. The things we will do for our kids.

Austin wanted to play with the snake too, but Jungleman Jacob wasn't sharing. So then Austin told him to "rip in it half!!". For some reason the kids were watching that "Survivorman" show the other night and the guy ripped open and little snake and ate it. BAARRRRF. I would probably just starve. We told him not to ever do that. Nana told him that harming animals would make him turn into a serial killer. Nana always has a way to explain things in a loving and meaningful way.

Jacob shared the snake with Austin for a second and then went about playing with it. Mom and I got busy again and I was going to run down to the house to help Ralphie run some telephone wire. Jacob has disappeared and then resurfaced from the house. I heard Nana say "where is your snake." What I thought I heard was "I left it in the house." That would be just great. We need to go find it so Nana doesn't find it later. HOWEVER, what Nana heard was "I broke it in half." So apparently my son did what big brother told him to do and pulled that poor snake apart. BAAAARRRRF. We scolded him and then Nana told Austin that Jacob was going to end up being a serial killer and it was going to be all his (Austin's fault).

We sometimes joke with Jacob and tell him to be nice to Austin because Austin is going to be the only one coming to visit him in prison when he is older. The kids laugh and, of course, we really don't mean it. One day Ralph said to me "You know how you always joke about Jacob being in prison?" I said "Yes". He said "Well, don't you think that, if he ever were actually in prison, that he would be able to break out?" I had never thought about that before, but I think he would. He would break out and come to see his Mommy, and then I would tell the people at the prison that they should let him out if he is smart enought to get out on his own. That's gotta count for something right???

Our New Baby!!

Introducing, RAMONE!!! Just what we needed, right?
Our plan was to get a dog for Sweet Pea. She has gotten quite used to being around two other dogs all day and night at Gaga's house and we thought that she might need some company once we move on out to the country.
Gaga's friend needed to get rid of this little guy and gave him to us. Of course, it's now been decided that he is way too small to live outside in a yard and probably won't get too much bigger than he is now, so it looks like Ramone is probably going to live in the new house.
We have definitely figured out that there is no such thing as a "free" dog. Today we bought a pet taxi/crate for him to sleep in and stay in while he is "house training". We bought a bed, collar, treats, toys, bowls, soft sided carrier. We also bought flea shampoo, aromatherapy shampoo (yes, aromatherapy shampoo for a dog), and flea drops. I drew the line at the BEACH PUPPY shirt.
He is doing so well and loves to play with the boys! Jacob gets a little hyped up, but understands that he is a very small baby. Ramone has been tinkling whenever we take him outside and we are excited about that. Of course, he wouldn't poop. So, today while I took Austin to the dentist, he decided to let loose. His little cage was all pooped in. I took him out and started the sink to bathe him. So, I'm bathing the little dog, the boys are all wound up running around the kitchen (Jacob had no nap at Nana's house) and things are just crazy (and I'm preheating the oven to have dinner ready). Nic comes in and grabs a dustpan full of hair (mine that Gaga cut last night; we were saving it cuz it's supposed to keep deer from your flower bed), and dumps it on the floor, he then finds a can of diet coke, drops it on the floor and it's spewing everywhere!!! So, I've got a poopy, wet dog, a wet, freaked out baby, sliding in diet coke and hair!!! After I got the dog out, I handed him off to Austin to go warm him up. I took Nic and put him in the sink and rinsed him off. I took him back to the boys room and got the hair/diet coke mess cleaned up and took everything outside to chunk it. I'll have to get some more hair for the flower beds!! I know that I should have put it in a bag. I thought that it had been out of reach, but that's usually what I get for thinking. Anyway, as I was out at the trash, my dear sweet husband drove up. I told him if he asked if dinner was ready I would kill him. Welcome home sweetie!!!
Note**Just in case anyone thinks I'm being sarcastic about the dear, sweet husband part, I'm not. He came right in and told me to sit down for a bit and he would take care of dinner.

Your Banana is Ringing!

For some reason the boys decided to use bananas as cell phones today. Jacob was arguing with whomever he was talking to. I heard him say "Don't say that to me. I don't love that."

Austin must have not been able to hear well so he had to use his headset.
Jacob is in the corner with a mouthful of his phone.

St. Jude's Bike-a-thon

Today is the St. Jude's Bike-a-thon at Jacob's preschool. We got the bike all tuned up. Daddy had to replace the pedals because Gaga's dog thought that they would taste good!!! Daddy has vowed not to shave his face until the house closes :)

Here is Jacob trying the bike out this morning!! If you pay attention to his wardrobe, you can see that his underwear are not only backwards, they are also inside-out. No matter what happens during the day, this always happens. I have gotten used to it and I don't care anymore!!! He likes them this way.

Re-Apply Nightly

The other day my post was about how Jacob smeared toothpaste all over himself before bed. Daddy took care of "most" of that situation and I wiped up the remainder before school the next day. I didn't realize that Daddy merely placed the tube back on the top of the dresser in the boys room. Yesterday Jacob had curious patches of dirt on his legs before school. He's a dirt magnet, so I just wiped him down and sent him on his way. After I dropped him off I thought to ask Ralphie where the toothpaste was and he told me. Did I hide it? No; I guess I got busy. So, apparently the mysterious dirt patches were from more toothpaste that had been applied again the night before. I know the responsible parents of the world are frowning upon me now. Last night after 9, after bedtime, Jacob comes in and says "My hands are all sticky." So I look at his little hands (that should be clean) and yes, they are sticky and kind of bluish and they smell like TOOTHPASTE!!

What makes children want to do things like this??? Maybe I am weird, but this kind of stuff truly brings me so much joy. I knelt down in some of the toothpaste the other night when I kissed him goodnight for a 3rd or 4th time. I didn't like the way it felt on nice clean skin. I didn't like the way it smelled either. Jacob just can't stay away from this stuff. I am truly amazed and tickled by the way that little boys' brains work. It's like they see something sticky, and oily, and smelly and the best option is to rub it all over themselves. Ralph has never once said to me "Jenny, there's a big puddle of mud over there, let go roll in it and eat some" or "hey, instead of putting the diaper ointment on the baby's butt, let rub it all over our faces!" I speak from experience when I say that Vaseline is the HARDEST thing to get off a kid and the carpet under them will never be the same!!

I am figuring that, when we finally get into the new house, the kids will need at least two baths a day. We had to meet someone out at the house after school yesterday and I had to hose all 3 of the boys down before they could get back into the car. When it has rained alot and the dirt will allow you to sink up to your calves, why wouldn't you?? I knew that Austin was the first to jump in. Jacob claimed that he was pushed, but I'm not buying that. Nic had a large brown ring around his mouth so he must have thought the mud looked really good. "I don't want steak and greenbeans, and rice for dinner, Mom. I'm gonna eat some yummy dirt." Nic had to ride home in his diaper because I had to walk about 10 feet to turn the hose back off and that took me about 3-4 seconds. What does a 3 year old do if he obtains possession of a hose for 3-4 seconds?

OOOH, speaking of the house, it's time for a HOUSE UPDATE: NOTHING!!!! Apparently the home builder had in their paperwork 6 acres and the bank showed that we were building on 8.5 acres. So, who cares? The land is ours and paid for. We don't have a problem getting the loan. Well, someone cares because I now have to have the surveyor write a letter saying that the home and all improvements are built on the 6 acres!!!

The butane/propane guys came out yesterday and installed a propane conversion kit in the new gas dryer. What is a propane conversion kit? It's a little piece of metal about half the size of my short fat pinky that costs 20 bucks. That doesn't include the installation, which I failed to ask the cost of. Of course, the alternative would be one of two things. 1.) Ralph takes the dryer apart and tries to install it, voiding any warranty from the manufacturer 2.)The propane won't be converted and the house will explode (?). If you are an employee of the LG company I will tell you that Ralph did NOT already try to take the dryer apart :)
They guys were so nice and took the time to show Jacob what was in EVERY door on their work truck (I wonder if they get paid by the minute?).

aaahhh, Jacob just woke up and came in and said, "There is something on my cheek." I said "Is it toothpaste?" He said "I think so". GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!!!

When insisting upon eating bread and only bread for lunch, also insist on using a PEN instead of a fork. Keeps mom from having to wash another fork, but we have learned that is does NOT keep you from accidentally biting your own finger(which seems to happen quiet a bit around here; fork or no fork).

New Bath and Body Works Fragrance: Colgate

Jacob says it's nice to pamper yourself sometimes. After a nice long bath, lay in bed and rub a liberal amount of Colgate Spongebob toothpaste over your legs and arms. It not only smells nice, but adds a blue shine and stickiness to the skin. Go ahead and rub it on bedding too and, not only will you, but the entire room, will have a wonderful aroma.

This is How We Roll!!

Carve a pumpkin? Heck no!!! Pumpkins are for rolling!!!! If this pumpkin actually makes it, Jacob did tell Daddy, "I want to cut it open and get all the nuts out."

Let Them Eat Cheese!!

I was having a conversation with Jacob earlier about saying nice things. When Jacob is angry he tends to say "I don't love you." He said this earlier after his nap, but I'm not totally sure what he was upset about at that point. He says he was upset because he wanted to go with Gaga and "he like to go with lot's of people and stuff."

I told him that it hurts people when he says stuff like and that there are better ways to express yourself so he says:

"Oh, I have an idea!!! We can be friends and I can love you and we can all eat cheese and get toys all the time at Walmart." Problem solved???

CLEANING THE KITCHEN!!!

WELL, I THOUGHT THAT I WAS ALMOST DONE CLEANING THE KITCHEN TODAY!!!!




As you may be able to see, there a still a few pots in Gaga's cabinet (for now). It's not like I had run down the block and left the kids unattended. They usually get into a little cabinet that holds cookie sheets and that is what I thought they had done. I could hear a little banging around in there, but nothing told me they were emptying the ENTIRE cabinet. Guess I got busy with laundry and toilets, and changing sheets......... Really, the pictures do not tell the story well, it's looks sooooo much messier in real life. I know that, at times, I find myself saying things that I never thought I would have to say, like "don't sit on the baby". Today I have added "Get out of the wok," to that list.

RIDDLE

What do you get when you cross a weenie dog with a Chiweenie (part chihuahua/part weenie dog)? Would it be a Chiweewee? We may be letting you know in a few months. It seems that Gaga's dog (Bosley) and our dog (Sweetpea) have taken quite a liking to each other. We think they got married.

BUSY WEEKEND!!

Even though we are still "homeless" we manage to stay nice and busy during the weekends.
Jacob went to a birthday party at our local "bouncing" place. He had a great time and was soooo good. I'm always afraid he'll get a little wound up and not understand that the birthday person does NOT need help with the candles or the opening of presents. BUT, after all of the jumping and eating, he kept himself busy picking up wrapping paper and tissue paper and helping the parents clean up!!! When we left, he told the birthday girls parents, "Thanks for the bouncin."







After the birthday party, we headed home for a nap. Bouncing parties generally lead to good naps. Then it was off to the property. Ralph was hooking up the new fridge, freezer,and taking the builder-supplied dishwasher out and installing the spoiled-homeowner-supplied dishwasher. We also put the new washing machine on it's pedestal. I can't wait to get a load of clothes into that baby. Ashlyn and I always laugh about how priorities have changed since high school and such. We never imagined a time in life where you would be so excited over a washing machine, vacuum cleaner, or an extra drawer in a fridge. When you turn on the washing machine, it sounds like the control panel of a spaceship, so I already know that I am going to have to keep my eyes on the kids. Jacob has already been demonstrating to anyone that will watch. I have been washing with the cheapest model Lowes sold 7 years ago, so we'll see what it's like to wash with the most expensive washing machine on Earth (not quite, but almost).




Here is a picture of the house. I'll post it because they have finally painted the shutters back to black. We are sooo ready to move it.





Here are the boys playing in Daddy's tractor.





On Sunday we did church, Sunday school, naps and then back out to the house to make sure that all of the appliances were safe and sound with no leaking. The boys went to the Catholic church picnic and had a great time. Austin is not really into sports, but, if there were a professional ring-toss league, he would be a shoe-in.
We got a nice rain shower while there, so the boys got to play in the rain and then ride back to town in their underwear!!! Then Nicholas ate so much lasagna that I pleaded with Ralph to stay home today so he could change the diaper that will surely result from that. He declined.

Speaking of little Nicholas, he seems to be all better. Apparently Salmonella, followed by teething WILL cause diarrhea for a month!!! The teeth are now in and he seems to be growing like a weed (not that he lost weight during this saga; he eats like a champ).

GOOD MORNING!!!!

Call me weird, but this is one of the things that makes life worth living!!! No, we aren't going for a ride in the brisk morning air, we are trying to get ready for school. Of course, Austin should be the one wearing the helmet. He hit his head on the INSIDE of the fridge while getting the milk out (????????) and it really hurt.

The Spilled Drink Counter

Jacob is 3 for 3 on spilled drinks. Yes, the last 3 drinks he has touched have all been spilled. We had Whataburger last night (since we were out at the house late, we didn't cook) and he walked right in and tripped over something and spilled it all over the floor. His drinks from Whataburger are cursed because this happened several weeks ago, but it was in the yard. It was actually kind of sad. He went racing through the yard, cradling his root beer, and tripped over a stick. His second drink spill (or rather a drop) was Gaga's coke can from yesterday.

This morning's drink spill was the most tragic. I knew we were running out of milk last night, but was too tired to go to the store. This morning I poured the VERY last of the milk for Jacob and told Austin that I knew he would drink his milk later. Jacob walked right over to the table and I heard him say "I'm Sorry." I knew what that meant; milk all over the table.

Old Irish Blessing: "Here's to a binky in your eye"

This isn't an old Irish blessing. I'm not Irish, but you see the Irish guys drinking in movies (back in the days where I watched movies rated something other than G) and they always have something to say like "Here's to a something."

Anyway, I was playing airplane with the boys last night. I lay on my back and push them up into the air with my feet and they fly and we hit turbulence and then have a crash landing (flip over and do it again). Sometimes I'm a rocket ship and we fly through a meteor shower. Sometimes my bent knees are a slide (unless it's right after dinner) Austin loved this when he was little, but unfortunately weighs to much now for Mom's legs. Jacob loves it!!!! I think I have either gotten a little out of shape or he has gotten a little heavier since we last did it, because I'm kind of sore today. What hurt worse, though, and ended the game, was when little Nicholas "flew". I held him up over me (not on my feet and no turbulence) and he really like it, but the last time we did it, his pacifier flew out of his mouth and straight into my open eye!!! OUCH!!!! Ralphie had to come and get the kiddos off of me. Jacob did not understand that the airplane had been grounded so he was still trying to climb all over me. Man that hurt. I think that my eye watered for 20 minutes!! Of course, it was worth it. From now on we will just have to ban the pilots from having anything in their mouths when boarding.

Austin missed all of the excitement, but was having some of his own. His grandpa and Uncle Bob took him to the Ducks Unlimited Banquet and he won some prizes. They have a live auction, a silent auction, door prizes and raffle prizes. The prizes vary from little things to guns to knives to artwork, etc. I can't remember how much the raffle tickets are, but they aren't the 6 for $5 variety. Barry had told me not to send any money with him, but apparently told Uncle Bob that he would pay him back if he gave Austin some money. Hehehehehe, sorry Barry, Uncle Bob told me he gave him 100 bucks!!!! Austin won a really nice kids DU watch and a $50 gift certificate to a greasy spoon restaurant. I do mean greasy spoon. The first and last time Ralph and I ate there our stomachs were kind of upset (and it takes a lot for Ralph's iron-lined stomach to be upset). I think that gift certificate will go with Austin back to his dad's house.

Earlier in the day we went to visit Muggy (Barry's mom). She had not seen the boys in a while so it was a great visit. She has toys at her house that we don't see everyday so Jacob is generally absorbed in playing with something different and not running around crazy!! When we left he told me "That was some good playin at Muggy's house."

It actually feels like FALL outside. There is a nice little chill in the air. Now, we are still in Texas, so shorts aren't out of the question for today, and it will probably be back up to 98 degrees this afternoon. But, for now it feels wonderful!!!

HOUSE UPDATE: Nothing. First we heard it would be ready tomorrow (Friday). The title company said there was no way we could close this week. Then we thought it would be next week, but the bank said, "these papers have to be done, this has to be updated, then these papers go here, blah, blah, blah." Then the banker says, "It will probably be not next week, but the next." WWWWWAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I am supposed to be receiving a house full of appliances today that I won't be able to use for a while.

My Austin

Scrub-a-dub-dub!!

I know it looks like I am nerd who sits around doing this blog thing in all of my spare time (whatever that is). My last post was actually done yesterday, but I forgot to post it. I am up particularly early this morning so I decided to type something.

Why am I up so early??? Well, since we are living at Gaga's house I have been nursing the baby every morning around 5 a.m. It's either that or everyone else in the house is going to wake up at 5 a.m. because I won't nurse him. As soon as we are in the new house, I plan to change this schedule. He's almost a year old and should be sleeping past five with no breast!! I also plan to quit nursing at a year anyway. For some reason though, I have a feeling that Nicholas might not have the same plan and we may go for longer.

See, I have become the breastfeeding champ. With Austin I only nursed for about 4-5 months. I just wasn't as patient as I could have been. Fast forward six years to Jacob. Ralph and I were now married (of course) and things were just sooooo much easier. In fact, I think that Ralph would have nursed him if he had the ability. I also became a stay-at-home-mom (yay, and thank you sweetie!!). Jacob nursed for about 11 or 11 1/2 months. He was no longer interested in it at that point and we were about to go on a big vacation so I was ready to quit too. Nicholas has been nursing for 11 months now and doesn't seem to be anywhere near stopping. It's not like he does it every few hours, just at 5 a.m. about lunchtime, maybe early evening and then bedtime. I guess this is normal. I have no idea how many bottles of formula kids drink at this age or when. Neither of my two youngest has ever had a bottle. We will just have to see what happens.

Anyway, I got soooo sidetracked there. Sorry, I always tell Ralph that I should be a lactation consultant. Why did I not fall asleep after I nursed. Well, that is easy. I don't want to be known as "THE STINKY MOM."

One thing you learn as a mom (at least one who doesn't have to get up and go to an actual workplace) is that, showers are often an afterthought. When the kids are sleeping (if they actually nap at the same time, which is rare in our home) you use that time to clean up the messes they have made. When dad comes home you would like to spend some time with him and the evening goes fast enough as it is. There is also that dinner thing, and bathtime for kids thing, etc. By the time the kids are asleep, it's late and you are tired and you just plan to shower in the morning. It never fails that, when I plan that, someone wakes up early or I decide that sleep is more important than that shower. I can't take Nicholas in the bathroom when I shower because he would play in the toilet or pick up that little screw cover on the side of the toilet (you know the one that never actually stays on the toilet). If you are a mom you should know what I mean. All of my kids have been fascinated by those things. Oh, I just thought of something. In the new house, the tiolet will be in it's own little room, so he WILL be able to play in the bathroom while I take a shower (I feel like I just found a cure for a disease!!!)

Today, I had to take a shower, and I couldn't take the chance that I might sleep to late and the baby would wake up. I don't want to be known as "You know Jacob's mom, right? She's THE STINKY ONE."

I'm sure some people reading this will think that I am gross, but I know some mommies know exactly what I am talking about.

Ralph and I were near his office a month or so ago (in the Galleria area in Houston) and we ate at a fancy restaurant (Chic-Fil-A). Most of the women eating there had walked over from office buildings. They were wearing nice shoes, business suits, and carrying expensive purses and looking really nice. They probably had all taken a shower each day that week!!! Now, I won't say that I don't have any of those things. I have LOTS of shoes and I have nice clothes and a few nice purses. I have LOTS of jewelry. My husband really does spoil me!! I just don't wear most of that stuff on a daily basis. My nice clothes and shoes are usually only worn at church. Anyway, I looked at all of those ladies and realized that I wouldn't trade places with them for anything in the world. Give me my Crocs, my shorts, and t-shirts and put me at home with my kiddos.

I know that, not all families, can afford for mom to stay home. I know that some moms just really prefer to work outside of the home. I respect all of that. We had to sacrifice a little in the beginning, but Ralph has worked so hard and has done so well at this company and we have been BLESSED. Not to mention that fact, that daycare for two little ones (since Austin is already in school) and gas money would pretty much have eaten up the paycheck I would have received in my previous life's occupation.

Will I go back to work when all of the kids are in school? I just don't know. Unless it is necessary, we have pretty much decided that I won't. Have I mentioned that I LOVE staying home? I love to have a somewhat clean house. I love to go on field trips without having to check with a boss. I love making treats for kids class parties and then being able to attend them. I love being able to have a warm meal and a sit-down-dinner for my family (most of the time). I love being able to say "I'm going shopping today" and to not have to wait until Saturday when its sooooo crowded.

I'm thinking that the only thing that might change when the boys are all in school is that I will probably get to take a shower every single day!!!!!!!

Things I have learned being a Mom

Little boys smell like wet dogs even after a nice long bath.

Kids are NOT impressed by how clean the house is and will never say when they are grown "Boy, I remember how clean Mom kept the house when I was growing up." So, give up on the neat-freak stuff and have some fun.

As a Mom you gain the ability to be a poop expert. You can analyze color, texture, frequency and how it came to be that way.

3 year old boys (sorry don't know to much about girls) really don't care one way or another if they ar wearing underwear.

Any bodily function and the result of that bodily function is ALWAYS funny to little boys.

Dirt and cat food tastes good to a toddler.

Little boys don't care if there zipper is down or who might see it.

Hearing a little boy's first armpit noise is a proud moment.

Hearing your kids tell you that you are "cool" really means something.

Hearing your kids tell you that you are a great Mom is the best.

"Don't sit on the baby" is actually something you may hear yourself say.

"Don't ride on the dog" is also something you never thought you would have to say.

When kids fall asleep it looks as if they actually collapsed mid-movement and never intended to actually fall asleep.

Breastmilk really can squirt very far.

Silly putty DOES NOT come up when you freeze it.

You will never again be the first person to sit down and start eating your dinner.

Staying out until the wee hours at night was no problem in college, waking up numerous times with a crying baby just about does you in.

Syrup can be used as hair gel in a pinch.

Every baby is your first baby no matter how many you have. They are never the same.

Little boys think their Mommy's are the most beautiful (at least for a while).

There are times that I can't wait to get a break from them and when I do, I am ready to run right in and see them, no matter how long it has been.

Kids tell on you if you don't put something back where you got it at Walmart.

It's ok for them to think you are the meanest mommy in the whole world when you are doing something for their own good.

I do not remember what it was like to be bored.

Minivans are COOL!!!

And..

The labor, the two-hour breastfeeding schedule, the diapers, being thrown up on, losing sleep, the choas...It's ALL worth it.

When I was pregnant with Austin my mom told me that you will love your baby more than you ever could imagine. She said that it was a kind of love that she really could not describe. I didn't understand what she was talking about until I had these children. Even when I am at my wits end with them, I know that, if anyone tried to take them away from me or harm them, I would fight to the death.

The New Toyota Sienna Art Edition

Jacob and I had a cute conversation on the way out to the new house today. It went like this.

Jacob: "I already took a nap"
Mommy: "No you didn't. I'm not a dummy."
Jacob: "No, you aren't. You are the boss."
Mommy: "Yes, that is right, so you have to do what I say because you are the worker"
Jacob: "You know what it is when you are a boss and I am a boss?"
Mommy (not fully understanding the question): "NO, what does that mean."
Jacob: "It means we are friends."
Mommy: "That's right, we are really good friends."
Jacob: "Mommy, you are THE COOLEST GIRL IN THE WORLD."
Mommy: "Well, you are a sweet boy."
Jacob: "You are the SWEETEST GIRL IN THE WHOLE WORLD."

Mommy's heart is melting. He can be the sweetest little thing. He also asked me why he wasn't a man yet. These are just the times where you want to freeze them and hold on to them forever. He is like a sponge and never stops asking questions and talking about things.

And then there is this:

Not too much to say.

Mommy and Jacob on the "firetruck."

These are pics from our trip to the water park this summer and one of Nic making his favorite silly face.

Ok, I am just going to post a few pics. I know that my last few things have been just really long rants. I don't have too much to say on a Monday morning, but I like to update because this is my way of scrapbooking without having to be too talented (or finding all of my stuff). Anyway, how do you scrapbook about Jacob having a meltdown at the garden center on Sunday and running away from Nana as if she was chasing him with a Halloween mask and a chainsaw?? I don't have many "spank" and "scream" stickers to decorate with. To represent Nicholas these days we would need a "poop" sticker and I haven't seen any of those on my trips to Hobby Lobby. Hopefully we will soon find a reason for all of his intestinal problems. The doctor now has me writing down everything he eats and, since I am still nursing, we are writing down what I eat too. Now there's some pressure.

Ralph and I did (kind of) have a little day away on Saturday. Jacob stayed with Oma while we ran (really ran) around Houston picking up stuff for the house. Nicholas went with us, but as long as he has his thumb and a place to go, you don't hear much from him!! We came back with a trailer and old farm truck full of stuff. We picked up another set of bunkbeds for the boys, matresses for them, another mattress for the guest room, and some other cute accent items for the house that Ralph picked out. Not really. I picked out all of the cute stuff, but doing stuff like that makes me realize that I have such a wonderful husband. He follows right along with the shopping cart and is just sooo patient. I'm sure that he really doesn't care if the towels match the artwork or the curtains, but he cares that I care. I just love him so much.

Anyway, here are some various pics. Well, actually, you have already seen them. For some reason I can't figure out how to make my pictures appear throught my post. I can only get them in the top. I'll figure it out.

Nice guy + Crowbar = Freedom!!!!

Have you ever noticed how one little thing can have a huge affect on the rest of your day? Just one little thing can somehow start a snowball on your day that just keeps rolling and rolling and rolling.

Yesterday was School Picture day for Austin. We had an outfit picked out, had our background color picked and knew which picture package we were going to get to split between his two homes.

My sweet husband had my alarm set for 6:30. Mom gets up a little early to have some coffee and peace and quiet for a few minutes before all heck breaks loose. Then I usually wake Austin up for a shower at 6:45 and the day begins.

Here is where the one little problem come into play. Although my alarm was set for 6:30, it did not go off. The same sweet husband who set it accidentally turned the volume off when he got up. I can't blame him, I think I would forget to wear pants sometimes if I had to get up at 4:30 every morning.

So I wake myself up at 6:58 and groan because I know that things will be crazy. I get Austin up and tell him he has to get into the shower immediately because we are late.

While Austin is in the shower, Nicholas wakes up and smells really badly. Since Jacob is still asleep (hallelujah) I run into his room and grab diapers and wipes. I also grab a shirt that is on the changing table to use as a makeshift pad.
I lay him down and change him and low and behold, this hasn't happened to me since Austin was a baby, he starts pooping again as soon as the old diaper is off. Austin gets out of the shower and sees that it's HIS shirt that now has a nice pile of poop on it and vows to never wear it again. He brings me a grocery bag and we clean up. Well, first he brought me a ziploc bag, but I explained that a grocery bag would work and that we weren't saving the poop, so a nice new ziploc wasn't necessary.

Jacob wakes up and we continue running. We get all of our breakfasts ready. We get lunch ready, we run here and there. Fight about eating the breakfast. Fight about getting clothes on.......

Ashlyn calls and says she needs a favor. I tell her that if the favor is taking Addie to school, then she will most certainly be late. She says that they are having the same problems as we are and she needs me to take Jack to school when I take Jacob. No problem, she would do the same thing for me and the boys don't have to be there until 8:30.

Oh, did I mention that I actually had plans to wear something half way decent because the firetrucks were coming to Jacob's school and I really didn't want to look like the beach bum that I usually portray? Not going to happen at this point.

I get some clothes on. I jokingly pop Austin on the rear and tell him to put his shoes on (again). He starts fussing and crying because I spank him. Ask Jacob if that was a real spanking. I think not. So now we have teary eyes for pictures. Great.

We finally jump into the car and I start writing the check for the pictures. I had planned on doing that during my quiet time this morning. He's really only 10 minutes late and won't have to get a tardy slip. Woohoo. There were LOTS of parents just pulling up. Must have been something in the air.

Then it's off to Ashlyn's to get Jack. I grab him and go drop the boys off. While I'm taking Jacob to his class I see kids carrying frogs, fishing poles, firetrucks, etc. His teacher tells me that it's show-and-tell day. "Didn't Jacob tell you?" "NO, he did not." Of course, he forgot to tell me. I ask what time show and tell will be and what time the firetruck is coming. Firetruck is coming at 9, show and tell isn't going to be until after that. Great. It's now about 8:40. I drive home quickly thinking of things that start with an "F". I can think of frog (been done), I can think of firetruck (there will be lots of those since it's Fire Prevention Week), and, I can't help it, I'm the mom of 3 boys, I think of FART, but I don't think that would be a good idea!! So I run into the house to hear that Nicholas has been crying for Gaga since I left. I tell her about the show and tell dilemma and I realize that we have FISH. Fancy-tailed Fish!!! I grab the candy jar, empty it, and wash it out. I scoop out about 6 of the guppies (they reproduce much like rabbits), put them and Nicholas into the car and it's back off to school. We deliver the fish and go wait for the firetruck.

The firetruck gets there. It wasn't much of a firetruck, just a small water truck, but the kids still like it. However, my son is the only one who refuses to ride on the firetruck unless Mommy goes. The firemen tell me to hop on with the kids and teachers, I leave Nicholas with Ashlyn, and we take our ride. Woohoo, I probably haven't taken a ride on a firetruck since I was at the very same preschool.

We finish our ride, say goodbye to the kiddos and, at last, I am going to be able to go home and sit down for a second. NOT SO. Barry calls to say that he is trying to make an appointment to go talk to Austin's Principal. Austin has been having trouble with some kids on class and we want him moved to another class (long story). I tell him that's great and I head on home. Nicholas falls asleep, Gaga leaves for school, and Barry calls to say that we have an appt. with the principal at 11:00. That gives me about 30 minutes to let Nicholas sleep and to look like I didn't just crawl out from under a bridge.

I call Ashlyn to see if she can pick Jacob up at 11:30 and she says fine. I wake Nicholas and we head to school. We talk to the principle and get Austin moved into the class he should have been in all along (yeah). I realize that it is now 11:25, so I CAN actually make it to pick Jacob up. I call Ashlyn as I head over to the preschool to tell her that I am on my way and not to pick Jacob up. BUT WAIT!!!! I look in the rear view mirror to see flashing police car lights. I know I was speeding. CHANGE PLANS, CURSE, and tell Ashlyn to go ahead and pick Jacob up cuz I will now be late, and please don't drive over by the soccer field because Mommy is getting a ticket.

The policewoman says "I'm pulling you over because you were going 43 in a 30." "Did you realize that you ran the stop sign?" I fight the urge to say "I'm not even sure that I have my clothing on correctly, I most certainly have NO idea whether or not I stopped at the stop sign." "I know the stop sign, seen it for years, probably rarely ever came to a full stop at it in my life." As far as the speeding, I also don't tell her that I was probably just getting started. It's generally a fairly uncrowded straightaway alongside the golf course and cemetery. She popped me pretty early into it. I just tell her that I did not realize that I didn't stop at the sign. So I get lucky and only get tickets for my expired sticker. YES, my inspection is expired. I have my registration at the house, but didn't want to stick in on the windshield until I have it replaced. (Gravel truck + BIG rock = broken windshield). All I have to do is get the inspection and take my paperwork to the judge and have it dismissed. Thankfully she just let me off on the speeding and stop sign thingy with warnings.

I call Ralph and when he says "What's up?" I tell him that "I am driving the speed limit, stopping at any and all stop signs, and going home to make and appt. to get a new windshield." He says "got pulled over, huh?" I just can't tell you how much I love my husband at this point because he is so awesome and understanding.

I run over to Ashlyn's to get Jacob and visit for a bit, then head on home to get the boys down for a nap (oh, and lunch fits in there somewhere).

The rest of the day goes pretty smoothly. Lunch, naps, a little laundry, blah, blah, blah.

Around 5ish we decide to make a quick run to Walmart and HEB. Normal trips, no fits, grab some stuff, put some stuff back that mysteriously appears in the basket(Jacob's "favorite" hot and spicy sausages), pay for our groceries (Jacob didn't even tell the whole world we needed beer or anything like that.) Then we head out to the car. Jacob is calmly riding on top of the pumpkin in the basket, Nicholas is sitting in the front of the basket sucking his thumb. I open Nic's door, unbuckle him, and begin to pull him out of the basket. He starts screaming. I put him back down real quick and try to pull him out again. He screams again. I look down and his foot is not in the large holes for baby's legs. He has somehow gotten his foot in between the tiny bars right beside the large hole. I swear these are about 1 1/2 inches apart and his little fat foot and leg is about 2 inches thick/wide, whatever. He is screaming, Jacob is wondering what is going on, and I am trying not to yell up into the Heavens "BUT WE WERE GOOD IN THE STORE!!!!"

I'm trying to pull him up and force his leg back through. I'm asking him how on earth he got his little foot in there in the first place. He isn't telling and I'm not having any luck. I begin to wonder what I am going to do. Call 911? The fire department? I've already taken a ride on their truck today, maybe they can help me get my kids leg out of the shopping cart. The nice man two spaces over has seen what is going on so he gets out a couple pairs of pliers and he tries to pull the bars apart. They don't budge. Nic is crying harder. He goes back to get a crowbar and that finally works. He pries and I pull and the leg is free. We thank the man and I stand in the parking lot trying to console Nicholas. When he finally stops crying we get back into the car and leave.

We run home, drop off cold stuff and head out to the new house to see if anything has happened. Oh, here is a HOUSE UPDATE: NOTHING. They did come and take the Porto potty. That's great. Now I know for sure where any future workers will be going!!

Nana comes down and we hang out for a bit with her before heading back home. Jacob gets dirty and then wet trying to wash his hands with the house. He rides home with no pants on. The plan is to get home, order Chinese, and Ralphie will pick it up as he rolls into town. Here is the problem; we get to Gaga's house and I cannot find my set of keys with her house key. I'm holding Nicholas and digging through the car looking for the keys. Jacob is in his underwear screaming because he got bit by an ant. Did I leave the keys at the property? Did I lock that set in the house when I dropped off cold food? We head around back to see if the back door was open by any chance. It's not. I'm sweating, I now have to pee, and Jacob is is in his underwear screaming because he stepped on a sticker. Did I mention that he left his shoes at the property? AAAAHHHH.

We call Ralphie and tell him not to head to the Chinese restaurant because we can't get into the house. He says he'll come straight home and that he is almost in town. I put Jacob on the front porch and tell him not to move again. I go to the car and dig around and finally find my keys!!!

I had about all of the excitement I could handle in one day. I don't remember the rest.

BEER is the Word of the Day!!

Let me start this story by saying that I cannot remember the last time I had a beer. I remember having one Pina Colada at dinner with Ashlyn over a month ago, perhaps two months ago. I also cannot remember the last time Ralph drank a beer. Not that we are opposed to drinking, but it makes me feel tired and icky. We are goofy enough from sheer exhaustion!! Most beer that comes into our home is used for marinading or cooking.
Now that I think about it, I do remember the last time Ralph and I both had a beer. I think the kids were at Nana's so we decided to party hard!! We got these cute little 7 oz. bottles of Corona (actually they were called Coronitas were an impulse buy at Sam's). We both drank one and had a little buzz. Did I mention that they were only 7 oz. beers? I cannot imagine what kind of table dancin I could have been capable of had I consumed a whole 12 oz. can. Gee, what a lightweight. We called it quits after the 7 oz. binge.

Anyway, I digress. If I can't remember how long it's actually been since I saw any of us consume a beer, I would assume that the kids don't think about it at all. However, it seems to be a fascination with Jacob nowadays.

The other day he is telling me a story about Jesus. Jesus was on the road and there was a crash and he got band aids and was better and he was "drinkin beer". AAAAHHHHH. "Where on Earth did that come from?" "Who told you that?" I searched through his bag from Sunday School looking for a story about Jesus on the road. Nothing even close. I was finally able to conclude that he made the story up and I didn't have to report any of the sweet little ladies from church. So, forget the inaccuracies surrounding the invention of the band aid, "Honey, Jesus did not drink beer." "What about root beer?" "OK, sure." I wasn't going to get into a WINE conversation.

Fast forward to yesterday. Jacob and I ran into HEB to pick up a couple things that I had forgotten (since my last TWO trips the day before). We were in a hurry because Gaga was in the car with the other two kids. We picked up our tater tots and other health foods. On the frozen food aisle, Jacob was chattering as he normally does throughout the entire store, when I high school-aged girl looked at him and said "He's really cute." We said thanks (no she wouldn't take him) and continued. We were going up to the register and the same girl was behind us. The next exchange went like this:

Mommy: "OK, we have everything that we need. Let's go."
Jacob: "We need more."
Mommy: "No we need to go now, we don't need anything else."
Jacob: "YES, we dooooooo!!"
Mommy's famous last words: "WHAT do we need."
Jacob (very loudly): "WE NEED BEER!!!!"
Mommy (face red; looking for church folks): "Jacob!" "No, we do not"
Young Sweet Innocent Girl: "Oh no Honey, beer is yucky, you don't need that."
Jacob: "YES WE DO, FOR DADDY!!"

Sorry about that one Daddy, but I was just extremely thankful that he didn't say "Yes, we do, for Jesus!"

BLUEBERRY THRILLS!

Aaahhh, bath time with the boys. Time to relax, have some quiet time, and watch the kids have some good natured fun. NOT!!!
Giving newborns a bath is always something that most parents look forward to. Cameras are rolling, baby is smiling, and Mommy and Daddy are both there to enjoy it. But, alas, that only lasts a bit and then it turns to chaos.
All of my guys are more than willing to take baths/showers. Jacob would take several baths a day if given the opportunity. When I started the tub last night, he was in before I had plugged the drain. He even had to jump back out to tinkle. He gets a ton of credit for that because, well, you know.
Nicholas heard the tub running so he crawled into the bathroom as quickly as possible. I stripped him down and ripped his diaper off to find the dreaded bath time surprise. This kid is famous for that (so I don't know why I don't learn my lesson.) You know the bathtub surprise; you have just changed a diaper about 30 minutes prior to the bath, so you pull the diaper off as he is trying to climb in the tub and see that there is indeed more than what you expected, so then you yelllllll to the closest set of ears "I NEED WIPES!!!". He is then naked with poopie butt, squirming and wriggling to get into the tub!!
We got that all taken care of and things go normally for a couple minutes.
Austin comes in and tells us that he has to go so we will have to get out. I inform him that we've only just gotten wet. Now, when I say we, I always mean we, not just the kids in the tub. So Austin says he'll go ahead and go as long as no one looks. So then it's me on the floor, Jacob and Nic in the tub, and Austin taking care of his business in Gaga's tiny bathroom. (Hope no one else has to go.)
Austin's finishes, but decides to stay for the show. He takes a little squirt ball that is part of the bathtub basketball set and pretends to tinkle into the tub. That always riles Jacob up and gets more water everywhere. Nicholas just tries to drink all of the water in the tub and chew on everything that is within arms reach.
Ralph then comes in and says he needs my help with something. We get Nicholas out of the tub and ask Austin if he will stay in and supervise Jacob playing in the tub. No problem.
I go help Ralph very quickly and then back to the bathroom to see how much water is on the floor. Austin is fully clothed and soaking wet. For some reason, when Jacob is taking a bath and Austin comes in and I have to step out for a second, Austin always "accidentally" falls into the tub. I ask him if he just wants to take a bath with Jacob instead of a shower in the morning. He says he will, IF he can keep his underwear on. Austin is very modest. Since his underwear are already wet, who cares. So, I let them play in there for a bit and have a seat on the couch with Nicholas (to keep him from crawling back into the bathroom and scaling the side of the tub). We hear lots of laughter and then Austin comes out and says "Jacob is squirting a bunch of the soap into the tub." I look pleadingly (or frustratedly, but I'm not sure if I know how to spell that) at Ralph so he goes to check. He comes back and says "Should we turn the shower on and shower Jacob off?" "What?", I say, "Just because he put some extra soap in?" "No," Ralph replies, "He put ALL of the soap in." "What?", I say again. Ralphie says, "He used it all, I just threw the bottle into the trash." I had just bought that bottle of Blueberry Thrills bath/body wash last week!!!
We walk down the hall together this time and go into the bathroom. There sits Jacob in a murky blue tub. Bubbles everywhere. Blueberry goop (thrills) running down the side of the tub. A puddle of blueberry goop glopped in the corner of the tub. He looks up at us with those big, huge brown eyes and says "I was helping you clean." Now what can I say to that?? Jacob loves to help. He ran in a little later with Nicholas' toothbrush COATED with infant toothpaste stuff. He wants to help Nicholas brush his teeth!!
Back to the story. We rinsed Jacob off, got him out of the tub and I re cleaned (for the 3rd time today), the bathroom. The only thing left of the mess was a nice coating of Blueberry Thrills bubbles on the bottom of the tub. Not all of the water in the house was gonna take care of that much soap at one time. I think that next time we will try Watermelon Wave, or Strawberry Smiles or something like that.

I want to meet the folks in charge of all of the parenting magazines and ask them who this is that says to give kids a bath before bed to "calm" them!!!

HOUSE UPDATE: Nothing. I want to post some pictures, but am waiting until the painters return to paint the shutters because I don't like the color they are now!!

Christmas is Just Around the Corner!!!

As we enter October, I realize how close we are to Christmas!! Last night for a little quiet time, I decided to lay on my bed with the boys and ask them what they wanted Santa to bring them. As I listed things, I was amused by Jacobs wants and sad about Austin's. Austin is in 4th grade and there wasn't a single toy on his want list. He's not a little boy anymore. No legos, no remote control cars, no "expensive turn-on toothbrushes (the top of the list just a few years ago). No spiderman webblasters, no bicycles. Austin wants a Black Mac book (laptop computer, $1500), a projector, a condenser microphone (???), a Palm TX handheld, wireless computer headset, and a 4 GB SD card. Yes, he had to spell things out for me and explain what they were. When I tell them that we are building a new house and may not be able to afford computers and such (he has 2 computers between houses and is also asking for 10-15 thousand dollars), he says "That's ok, you don't have to buy me anything, Santa can bring it." Some of the thins on Austin's list are for his business, some are for his employees. I'm trying to talk him into letting his employees ask Santa for the things that they need.
Jacob's list is a little more doable. He wants a big truck with big wheels, a matchbook, a folder, exercise, bubble soap, a basket and some gummies. He also wants a lunchbox, a cowboy rope, and a BIG surprise!! He also wants a bo bo bell. We aren't sure what that is, but when we find out we may just have to add that to the final list.
Nicholas can't tell us what he wants, but, if he could, we think he would say "I just want something that no one else will play with." Jacob motto seems to be "what is mine is mine, what is everyone else's is mine too."
It will be interesting to see how our lists change in the next few months. I'm hoping that Austin may add a few toys to the list so that I still see that little boy somewhere in there instead of Alvin Yakkatorre, owner and operator of a video/movie producing studio.

HOUSE UPDATE TIME: We are still waiting to get a closing date on the new house. We did a final walk through last week and marked everything that we wanted corrected. Our building superintendent left still liking us and that was good. We should find out something soon.
We haven't had any big problems living with Gaga. We all share one bathroom really well. Jacob has only had to use the outdoor facilities a couple times while Austin was in the shower. Nicholas has gotten used to sleeping in the same room with Mommy and Daddy. He now knows that we are right there and if you fuss just enough, we are going to get up so he doesn't wake the whole house. We have had some rather restless nights and are looking forward to him having his own room down the hall. Austin and Jacob are getting used to wrestling every night and arguing in the same bed until separated. I keep telling them that they only have to share a bed for another week or so. They still fight over pillows, blankets,etc. If I were a betting woman, I would say that, once in the new house and in separate beds, we will be having to come in and force them to sleep separately. We shall see.

Do Not Peel and Drive!!!

Ok, I took the kiddos to the doctor yesterday. The appt. was for Nicholas so we could check the sinus infection situation. His throat was a little red so we got some antibiotics. They are also gonna sample one of the lovely diapers that he made for them while we were there!! I then asked our wonderful pediatrician if she could take a look at Jacob's thumb (the one with the mysterious,huge blister). She said it was definitely a blister and that she was worried about infection, as it was turning a little red. Now comes the sad part. Jacob absolutely refuses (I mean refuses) to take liquid antibiotics. He refuses to consume any type of liquid medicine. It ends up in my face or on my clothes, and I end up losing a part of a finger trying to make him choke it down. So, when we were going through our ear infection saga last year we all realized that an antibiotic shot can't be spit in the face,works quickly, and is included in your copay!!!!!!


Poor little guy goes to the doctor with brother and ends up being the one getting a shot. Oh did I mention that one of the HUGE apples went with us to see the doctor?? It also went to preschool. Those darn apple have brought smiles to so many faces. I kind of hate to eat them, but they have taught me a good lesson. It's either that, I am not a loser and that seeing a huge apple is truly entertaining, or that, I am a loser and so are alot of the folks that I know.


Anyway, back to the story. Jacob gets an antibiotic shot in the leg and tenses his muscles so hard that he is walking the rest of the day like he has a peg leg. Argggghhhh.


We went to the Dollar Store after leaving so that I could buy swim goggles, and hot wheels, and misc. stuff that no one needed, just to make him feel better. One little old lady said "oh, poor boy, he has a bad leg." This was right before she saw Nicholas sucking his thumb and said "Oh, no, no momma, get me something else." I have learned one thing having my first thumbsucker. When people don't agree with your child sucking on his thumb, they will tell you. I guess I have had people make comments about binkies, I just never react (out loud, that is. On the inside, I'm always thinking I should say something like, "now what have you been putting in your mouth??? It sure is making your butt big!"). I just wonder what WOULD be acceptable to those people? Give him a bone? A chew toy? One lady suggested a lollipop once (she had a big butt).


Back to my story, I took my little peg leg boy, my mother-of-the year awards, and the 25 bucks worth of misc. junk I bought and we got back on the road.


We stopped at McDonalds, as it was already about 2 p.m. and the boys had only snacked on animal crackers at the doctors office. I got a little burger for me, chicken nuggets for the boys, and fries. So I dole out some fries, give Jacob a nugget and eat my burger. I then get ready to give Nicholas some nuggets, so I realize that I am driving down the freeway, peeling a chicken nugget with my hands. You know, the crust is kind of crispy. I wonder, when I get pulled over for weaving a little, if the cop will believe me "OFFICER, I SWEAR I WASN'T DRINKING, I WAS JUST PEELING CHICKEN NUGGETS."

I didn't get pulled over and that was good. We went on home. I talked to the UPS man, I talked to a couple other people. We went to the drugstore to pick up prescriptions and I talked to lots of nice people in there. I saw a friend that I hadn't seen in a few years, he talked to the baby and they seemed to hit it off. I always feel a little self conscious when I see an old single friend, just because my life is so totally different. I'm now mom of 3, a little(?) chunky, no makeup, wearing Crocs pretty much all of the time, and basically looking like I just got back from the beach (or escaped from the attempts to have me pushed back into the water!!)
Now, I really don't care about this too much. I know that I have a blessed life and I wouldn't change anything in the world. I don't really worry about him going back to other old friends and saying "whew, Jenny sure has let herself go". What I did end up worrying about was what he thought about the big ketchup mark I had smeared right smack-dab on my forehead. (You know from eating, and peeling, and driving.)

Look at the Size of those Apples!!!

Gaga came home from the grocery store yesterday with these HUMONGOUS apples. She said the guy at the grocery store told her that they are only available once a year and that there are never many produced because they are so large. Anyway, they are normally like $2.80 per pound!!! Anyone that knows me knows that, if I spend that much on an apple, it's time to take me in to see the shrink. However, this guy at H.E.B told her that they had marked the price wrong so she picked up a couple for the kids before they could correct it. Yes, that is how we roll!!!

I'm not sure what name these apples go by, but after we have entertained with them, showed the off and taken lots of pictures we will eat them. We still have quite a few people we want to show them to. Does this say anything about our lives? Are we missing a little excitement here?? I don't care. I'm a mom and a huge apple was the highlight of my day!!!!

Ok, now it's time to rant:

I am waiting for a day in this house where everyone is NOT sick and I mean EVERYONE. Most of us had colds last week. Ralph's turned into an infection, but a shot in the rear and $100 bucks of medicine seem to have cleared that up. I got over my cold, only to start coming down with the infection part yesterday. I was not feeling well. A visit with doctor Ashlyn fixed that right up. She gave me some medicine and I am on the mend. Oh, for any real doctors reading this, I really drove to the doctors office, sat patiently forever with patient little Nicholas, got some antibiotics and stuff, and drove home.

I think that Nicholas may be getting a sinus infection too. I have come to realize that when a poopie diaper makes the entire house smell with a smell like you have never smelled before (you know, a smell, a smelly smell that smells...smelly), there is usually some type of infection, usually sinuses. Now, did I tell you that these diapers were awful? I cannot tell you enough. Usually we are able to put dirties in the diaper pail and deal with them later, but not these. These had to be RUN outside with noses held and slammed into the trashcan. There were two dead garbagemen in our front yard when we came home. We wanted to go to Walmart to get some flowers for my dad's grave after preschool so I took Jake and Nic and loaded them up in the basket and noticed, as we were walking in with no diaper bag, that I could smell that familar stench. You guessed it, we went on in anyway. Wasn't bothering Nicholas and Jacob only commented on the stinkky once. We are banned from Walmart for a month!!!!

Jacob is not sick, but he is injured. He came in yesterday after lunch and told Gaga and me that his thumb hurt. Upon inspection, we found what looked like a blister the size of a dime on the tip of his thumb. We tried asking him what happened, but he never could tell us. He said he burned it on the fire at camp. He has never been camping or to a camp. If there is a camp for rowdy three years olds, please tell me. He told me a fireman did it. Daddy's car did it (Daddy was a work), my car did it. Now, I may not notice everything all the time, like forgetting keys, forgetting wallets, forgetting what I came to the store for. But I assure you I would have known about slamming his little thumb in the door of the car. Which reminds me of the time I slammed my breast in the hatchback of the 4-runner at HEB!! To make a long story short. I was stuck and had my mom not been with me when it happened, I may have had to ask someone for help getting my boob out of the car door. Yes, it hurt and Jacob never liked that side as much for nursing!! Anyway, I digress. We never did figure out how he got this big blister, but I did turn into a large painful blood blister!!! He's in pain so it looks like we are going to try and make a 2 for 1 pediatricians appt. today.

Austin is not sick (at least physically). Hahahah, I joke. He is having problems with a kid at school hitting and kicking him. This is the same kid who eats smoked oysters, with Tabasco sauce for lunch. Is it just me, or does this kid sound dangerous? I have sent a note to the teacher today and this will hopefully help.

That's pretty much all that is going on around here. Well, not all, but enough for me!!! We are still waiting on the house to be done, but should be moving in within a couple weeks. Hopefully when we are all WELL!!!

Nic is Walking!!!!!!!

Good Grief!! I walked into the living room last Monday with Nicholas and stood him up in the middle of the floor, thinking that he would drop to his knees and start to crawl toward his toys. Well, instead he took off and walked about 5 steps!!!! I had to double check with Annie to make sure I wasn't just imagining this. I wasn't. Now he's doing it more and more often and I am freaking out.

I remember not being able to wait until Austin learned to walk. He took his first steps right around 11 1/2 months. We were sooo excited.

I remember the first time we saw Jacob starting to crawl. We knew we were in for trouble with the second one. We were fine if he waited until 2 or 3 years to walk. No biggie. Of course, he started walking at right about 12 months.

We were not prepared for Nicholas to start walking at just over 10 months!!!! He's the third child so I have just now gotten around to talking pictures of him walking (a week after it first happened). I guess not being able to find the camera since we really don't have a home right now didn't help much either. Speaking of that, any messes you see in the background of any photos are not our messes since we don't actually have a home right now.

I am SICK, but my company won't let me take a sick day!!

I have figured out that the worst part of my job is the "no sick day" policy. I am fine with no paychecks (the benefits are great), I do fine with no vacation days, and I've gotten pretty used to the 24 hour on call policy. However, I am sick and I want to take a SICK day!!! I want to sleep in, I want to take a nap, and when not napping, I want to lay on the couch and watch HGTV.
It's just not happening that way. I'm still chauffeuring people around, cooking for them, cleaning, etc. Last night I had to help Alvin Yakkatorre with his Powerpoint presentation. He's giving a talk at career day today and being his agent, I'm in charge of stuff like that. I drove the fellows to the store yesterday and was subjected to Jefferson Stealflex's DIVA-like behavior throughout the store. He has a photoshoot today so I've got to dress him and fix his hair. You know by being his stylist, I'm in charge of stuff like that.
My eldest client, Ralph, really enjoys a good meal. So I made him some gourmet meatloaf and homemade instant potatoes. He's my most understanding client and would have been fine with takeout, but he does provide me with many of my wonderful benefits so I really wanted to do that for him. Being his personal chef and all, I felt obligated.
Nicholas is sick too (we have all been, but now it's pretty much just Nic and I). That just really makes it worse because his nose is running and he's coughing. Being that I'm his personal nurse and milkmaid, I'm in charge of stuff like that. I got called into the office between 3 and 4 a.m. and I honestly don't know what time I got back to bed. It seemed as if every time I coughed it woke him up. Now, the billion pound train barrelling down the tracks, 3 doors down from our bedroom at Annie's house, honking it's horn sooo loudly it makes your teeth rattle; he sleeps like a baby through that.
Well, I've done my venting. Work calls to me. I've got to get to the kitchen and whip up a healthy brown bag lunch for one of my clients and then get to my studio to work on Jefferson's hair (it's sticking straight up in the back and, that is gonna take some stylist magic).
Some people probably wonder why I hang onto this job, or why I took on so many clients. It's pretty simple. The benefits really are great. I get lots of hugs and kisses. I'm getting a new home. Sometimes I am given priceless artwork for all of my hard work. I think that my clients really do love me and that is satisfying.
Oh, I also have to get going because one of my clients just threw a fork into the toilet.