Hider

Ladies, get your jewelry out of sight and look before you sit down.  We've got a hide-er on our hands.  I've found toys here:

And here:

And here:

Amongst other places.  Like picture frames in my bed.  Or cups of milk under the entertainment center.  Okay, that last one might not have been on purpose, but it was still disgusting when I found it. 

Also, did you know that flat irons make excellent security blankets? 

I drew the line at taking it to bed at nap time. 

So this weekend is the ladie's retreat at church, and we will be gone the ENTIRE weekend!  As in, leaving Friday night and coming back Sunday morning.  So if I'm gone all weekend with no baby, guess who will be home all weekend with baby.....that's right.....Daddy.  Anyone wanna start taking bets at what the state of the union is when I get home?  I plan on cleaning everything tomorrow and leaving a note that says:

I have cleaned everything.  Since you have told me before that I'm the only one who makes a mess so I'm the only one who needs to pick up, I expect it to look like it does now when I get home on Sunday.  Thank you- managment

Belly button

Tonight my beloved son discovered the belly button.  He not only discovered his belly button, but he discovered my belly button. 

By lifting up my shirt. 

Apparently this is hillarious, because you should have heard the storm of laughter each of the million times he did this tonight.

Then when Daddy got home, he discovered Daddy's belly button.

By lifting up Daddy's shirt. 

So if the next time you are around Luke he lifts up your shirt, just say belly button and wait for the mad giggling.   Then try to distract him and move on.

Suprise Party!

I can finally talk about what I've been doing  for the last two weeks.....getting ready to throw Mom a suprise party!  Ashley, Dad, and I decided that turning 50 was a pretty big deal, so we got all of her friends together and had a shin-dig.  Since Mom was  born in 1960, we thought a 60's themed  party would be perfect!  I put in the evite that costumes were optional, and while it was a given that we would dress up, I wasn't sure how many people would come in their best hippy gear.  But some did!  It was great!

But ya'll.....oh ya'll.....the only other party I have ever thrown was Luke's first birthday.  About half way through the planning process I was  a little afraid of what I had gotten myself into.  What, you don't throw a suprise party for 50 people (including dinner) every day?  I don't even cook for my little family!  But you know what?  It wasn't that bad.  I took it step by step.......guests?  Check.  Cake?  Check.  Decorations?  Check.  Slide show of pictures of Mom growing up?  Check. Food?  Check. 

Then I (to Ashley's mucho groaning) made us start really early yesterday morning to get everything ready.  And tada!  It was fantastic!  We fixed smoked bristket, bbq sauce on the side, baked beans, green beans, 2 types of potato salad, cole slaw, two types of bread, tea, and of course the cake.  We played a game where I read a statement about Mom and they had to hold up a card that said true or false, and then Mom had to tell the story about it.  I still had people come up to me this morning and tell me how much fun they had.  And now for the pictures!

How fun is  this groovy cake? 

Luke ate his roll with a fork again.

One of the shots of the people and decor.  It looks a little bleh in the picture, but we had flowers on the tables, 60's posters everywhere, the slide show playing, and bright colors everywhere you turn!

Take a big breath Mom!  Holy moly, you should have seen me try to serve and cut that cute cake.  I D.E.S.T.R.O.Y.E.D. it.

My groovy  family.  I spent an afternoon tye dying us all shirts (except Ashley, she wouldn't wear one of mine, she had to wear one she already had), and I found my vest, jeans, and Dad's vest at Goodwill.  I split my jeans and added the fabric to make them bell  bottoms and painted the back of  my vest with a peace sign, heart, and smiley face.  So now if you want to invite me to a hippy party I'll have something to wear.

Let's get silly

Last night Cody and I went with Dillon, Autumn, Justin, and Sarah to Medieval Times.  I haven't been there since 8th grade!  It was so much fun doing something silly, and we got rowdy while we were there.  Nothing like getting into a cheering match with some drunken fools across the arena or having to listen to a belligerent dude in the torture chamber going on and on about the devices.  I meant to take a camera so that I could be a good little blogger and share our merriement with all ya'll, but I forgot.  So, no pictures for today.

However, I can give you a good mental picture.  This morning I got the boys out to do a couple of errands.  The second place we went was Target, and half way up the bread isle I feel something squishy behind my knee.  I muster up the courage to reach  back and feel of it, and it's on the INSIDE. What?  You heard me.  My mind starts racing. 

Do I leave it there?

What if whatever it is falls out?

Did my underware fall off?

Do I have static cling? 

What if I pull out panties?

Finally I take a deep breath, bend over, and reach  up my pant leg from my ankle and fish for whatever is lodged up there. 

Good news:  it was a sock. 

Bad news:   there was a sock stuck up my pants.

Pants are a must

So this morning I've realized that Luke needs to wear something over his diaper or this will happen. 

Boo.  This means more laundry.

This afternoon I took Luke up to the doctor for a quick check on why he hasn't been feeling so great the last few days.  Turns out he's getting over his first cold.  Of all the illness that boy has indured, this is the first time it's been an actual cold.  Amazing huh?  When we got home the child just could not handle being indoors any longer, and we spent an hour walking up and down the sidewalk and around the block.  Good thing it was another beautiful day in the 70's!  I swear we pointed at, named, and waved hello/goodbye to every airplane that flew over head.  Did you know we are kind of under a major air highway into DFW?  I didn't realize this, but there is one flying over head  every 4 minutes at various times of the day.  Oh!  And did you catch that?  He's finally waving goodbye!  I know that it may seem like a little thing, but when most kids start waving bye bye at 10 or 11 months and your kid doesn't, we celebrate it!  It only took him until 18 months!  ;)

Then tonight at bathtime I got a some progressive pictures of his new favorite game. 

I like to call it the "I'm helping the tub fill up and sometimes splashing me" game.

Some things you prolly don't know

About me.  And these are different from the things I've learned.  Which when I went back and read them realized I've learned some pretty good thing's that I had already forgotten.

1.  I sometimes cram food in my mouth, go without, or try to eat when Luke is not around, just so I don't have to share.  He wants EVERYTHING I eat.

2.  I strongly dislike sharing.  Yes I'm 26 years old and still don't like it, although I believe I'm getting better.

3.  Winter weather before Christmas- cozy and festive
Winter weather after Christmas- freezing and depressing.  How long till spring?

4.  I stand in front of the mirror for an hour at night after I wash my face and brush my teeth just picking at things on my skin.

5.  Two things that I am most afraid of: balloons and puking.  Both give me panic attacks.  I will refuse to eat something on the off chance it's bad and could give me food poisoning.  When Cody has been sick I make him close all the doors between me and him and turn on the tub water so I can't hear anything.  I felt a huge sigh of relief on my last day of teaching school because there would be no more suprise throw ups from my kids. 

6.  Besides my inner monolog being Brisitsh sometimes, I mostly talk to God in my head all day.  He's like the bluetooth in my ear having to listen to my constant verbal discourse. 

7.  If God asked me to give up tv forever and ever, I don't know if I could do it.

8.  I finally don't feel guilty for not wearing a pair of shoes for a really long time, and consistantly choosing other shoes over that pair, with out hurting their "feelings".

9.  I hate doing laundry so much that most of the time we don't wear any clothes at home, just so I won't have to do it later.

10.  I am dreading the Olympics.  Dreading them.  That's all anybody can talk about when they are on, and it totally disrupts my prime time viewing pleasure.

Taller than I realized

So, Luke has grown more than I give him credit for.

Example.  This afternoon he was whinning that he wanted a snack, so I got out some apple sauce for him.  I know better than to give an 18 month old free reign over a cup of apple sauce and spoon, so when he refused to let me feed him I put it up on the table and laid down on the couch for a rest.  Then I realized it had been quiet for a little too long. 

Why was it quiet?

Because he was able to reach the cup and the spoon. 

Now instead of eating apple sauce for a snack, he's wearing it on his shirt.  And his pants.  And his hair.  And the kitchen floor is wearing it in puddles.  As is the living room floor from where he came in to show me what he had accomplished.  I tried to get a picture, but they didn't turn out very well and Daisy got to work too fast.

Also, tonight he finally put two and two together that if he gets up on a chair by the table then he can reach all of the electronics Momma put out of reach.

Captured on film

Well, it's not really film.  It's a memory card.  Will we be able to use that phrase anymore?  I guess it will just become another phrase that in 30 years kids will say, "Mom, where did the phrase "captured on film" come from?"  Anyway, I knew that Luke would not be a one trick pony with his new toy-crate-chair buisness. 

(you can see the gap in the wall behind him where the crates are supposed to go)

And then right after I took these he realized he couldn't see the tv from that vantage point, so he moved. 

Now, you might be wondering where all of those fabulous Hot Wheeles, Matchbox cars, Tonka trucks, and other 4 wheeled toys that are normally housed in the red crate might be while he reclines in their home.  They would be on my coffee table.  Where he very carefully took them out two at a time (one in each hand) and placed them safely on the table to wait.  I should have known what he was  up to when I saw the mass exodus next to the coasters.  Also, all of the things piled on the fireplace in the above picture are toys normally stored on top of the crate.  You can see the great length and effort he went to just for an uncomfortable seat directly next to the couch.

Lots of adult conversation

Now that I think about the title of this post, I could probably come up with something less suggestive, but I'm too tired.  So get your mind out of the gutter. 

Today I was actually around mulitple adults, and therefor had mulitple conversations that didn't revolve around owies and boo boos and yogurt and toys.  My good friend Niki came over again for most of the day, and it is so nice just to have another grown up hanging around the house.  At some points during the day we were just sitting there watching our kids, without talking, but it was the good kind of comfortable silence.  I'm so glad that I have a friend that is close enough that we don't feel like we need to fill every down time with random words.  But don't get me wrong, we had good indepth coversation too.  Plus she let me try and teach her to knit.  Yay for more knitters in the world!

Then when she left our new ECI case worker came out.  I like her!  And it turns out she graduated from the same high school I did, only three years before me.  Fun!  Then Cody got home, we ate the pot roast I'd been crock potting all day, then we went out with his friends for drinks and sushi.  See how many adults I got to be around today?  The only time I was alone with the babies was from 7:30-10:30 this morning, and in that time I got a shower, all of the ironing done from yesterday's cleaning extravaganza, pumpkin bread made, the roast on to cook, and Luke fed and dressed.  

Good  day folks.  Good day.  (oh, and I tried to get the funniest picture to add, but the battery wasn't in the camera and the moment passed before I found it and got it in.  Luke had taken all of his toys out of his crate and pushed it in front of the tv and sat in it for a new chair.  Apparently the Pottery Barn one has lost it's charm.  Maybe he'll try it again tomorrow.)

Nary a spot

I spent my whole day cleaning.  Whole day.  Cleaning.

Why you might ask?  Because I procrasinated last week and didn't to ANY, and this week looks so full I knew it wouldn't get done otherwise.  So I did it all.  Today.  All.  While taking care of two needy boys. 

Now there are no milk splatters in the kitchen.  No drool spots in the living room.  No yogurt smears on the couch.  No water spots in the bathroom.  No trash in any cans.  No laundry to be found anywhere.  No dusty finger prints on the entertainment center.  For one magical night the house is clean.  Is this what Christmas Eve feels like to an adult? 

Just don't look too closely in the corners.  While I used to pride myself on being a good house keeper, I have come to realize (and fully accept) that I'm a good enough house keeper.  The stove may not look pristenly brand-new, I hate doing base boards, and those pesky cobwebs won't seem to fall down, but it's clean where it counts. 

And it feels good. 

So bring it on, oh you rest of the week, because this momma can handle it now.