Weekend out of town

So let me start back on Friday morning.  Friday morning was like any other morning.  We got up, ate breakfast, and played.  Luke was playing in the living room so I went back to my room and made the bed.  As I finished making the bed I turned around and there was Luke. 

Naked.

No pajama's.  No diaper.  Just naked.

As I gasped loudly I scooped him up and quickly ran to dress him again, lest he pee pee everywhere. 

The rest of the morning went normally.  We ate lunch on time.  I put him down for a nap on time.  Cody comes home in the middle of nap time and Luke is STILL talking in bed.  Just jibber jabbering away.  Cody can't stand the thought of him being awake and just sitting in bed, so he goes into his room. What is Luke doing?  Standing in bed.

Naked.  Again. 

No wonder the child wasn't asleep.  I didn't see any big wet spots around as we were howling with laughter and putting clothes back on him.  *whew!*  Then we got packed up, because we were driving to College Station for a wedding, and I figured that it was okay that he didn't get a nap since we would be in the car for 3 hours.  He could just sleep on the way, right? 

Wrong.  The trip ended up taking 4 hours and he didn't sleep a wink.  No big deal, he wasn't in a bad mood and so I just thought, "Well, when we get to the rehersal dinner I'll get some food, sit him in my lap, and he can go to sleep while I eat.  Then he won't be running around and be a huge distraction.  This could work."  Good plan right?

Wrong.  Still didn't sleep.  He didn't end up sleeping until we got to Cody's aunt and uncle's house late that night.  This child was awake from 7:45 to 10:30 without being in an awful mood at all.  It was a Christmas miracle.  Except it wasn't Christmas. 

Saturday morning he woke up at his normal time, 7:30, and while I was bummed to not get to stay in Phyllis' comfy bed later than that, I was hoping this would mean Luke would stay on some type of schedule.  I was right.  In fact, he even let me put him down for his nap an hour early and he still passed out as soon as I left the room.  Which was good, because he only got about 1 1/2 hours of sleep before I had to wake him up to go to the wedding.  Our friend of ours that we grew up with, Alan, got married to a lovely girl, Lisa.  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding.  I had never been to one of those!  Cody and I had a great time catching up with lots of old friends, and Luke had a ball running around the grounds with Grandad chasing him (we drove up with Cody's parents).  I even let Luke bust out his Easter outfit, and he was the cutest kid at the whole shin-dig. 

(due to his rather short neck, you can't really see his tie, but he has one on in there)

(the closest I got to a family picture.  I was mad at myself for forgetting to get one!  But you know me.  I got caught up in the event and forgot to take pictures.)

After it was over we hit the road again to come home.  I figured after running around the entire afternoon Luke would sleep in the car ride home, right?  WRONG!  Holy moly that kid didn't even doze off once in all the hours we were in the car.  I guess there were too many airplanes to spot or clouds to stare at.  We got home at 10:15 last night, so I just washed his hair quickly (come on, he had been out side and today was church day) and put him to bed.  When I went to check on him later he hadn't moved from the spot I laid him in.  And the poor kid had to be woken up to go to bible class this morning. 

Tonight instead of small groups, the few of us that were still in town due to spring break met at the park and just had fun.  The weekend of sleep deprivation caught up to us though, and by 6:30 we were headed home due to major meltdowns.  Now all is quiet in the Carver house.  :)  Ahhhhh......

All in all we had a fantastic  weekend.  It was so nice not to have to drive to College Station, and I always enjoy staying with Ray and Phyllis.  As we were leaving Phyllis even gave me an extra copy of Beth Moore's new book!  I was thrilled and I can't wait to start it.  It deals with insecurity and I'm sure Miss Beth will have lots of things for me to learn in it.  It was so sweet of her! 

I believe I will end this weekend with some quality time with the DVR.  A new episode of Who Do You Think You Are was on Friday night, and I am interested to see where Emmit Smith came from....

Escaped Felon

After breakfast this morning I let Daisy outside and went to check on Kayden (who had passed out in Luke's bed.  I laid K in there to take L out and change his diaper, by the time I got back to K he was already asleep.)  He was still asleep. 

Then I realized Daisy was inside.  With my head hanging I remembered that I didn't lock the door after letting her outside and SOMEONE figured it out. 

In his p.j.'s. 

With no shoes on. 

In the mud from the rain yesterday. 

(and no, that's not grass, all the green you see are WEEDS.  What in the world am I going to do?)

So I chased him around the backyard, caught him like a sack of potatoes, and carried him in to wash his feet.  Then I took him back to his room to change him so he could play outside in normal clothes with shoes on.

Apparently he needed to go back to jail.  I would have let him, except that Kayden was sleeping 6 inches away in the crib.  *head hanging again*  It's a good thing I adore that boy.

On a much more positive note, Dawn from ECI came today and while we were playing Luke kept saying "yuck"  when getting a toy, and she said he was saying "look"!  A new word!  It totally makes sense, and my education background should have given me the clue that lots of kids say /y/ for /l/ (like some kids switch /w/ for /l/.  My best friend when I was little couldn't say her L's, so I was Windsey Wittle.)  I'm going to be watching out for more phonem switches like this to see if he's really saying more than I realize!

Spring is here!

This morning I was feeling a little kicky, so I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  At first Luke just licked the icing off and said "Mmmmmmm!" after eat finger full, but then he finally started taking bites. 

He got icing everywhere.

After breakfast I cleaned him up and moved on to sort the laundry, when I hear lots of giggling.  Finally  I went in search for him and found him with the camera, which I had mistakenly left on the table.  He figured out how to turn it on, and how to take pictures.   He took 49, yes, 49 pictures that all look like this. 

And this.

And some with his finger over the lens.   

I'm going to love sitting around deleting all of those.

Later, after naptime, I loaded up Luke and Kayden into the car and we took a field trip to Sonic for my Dr. Pepper, and the grocery store.  It was such an absolutely gorgeous day that I thought Lukie needed a treat, so I bought him his very first apple juice slushie from Sonic.  I waited until we got to the grocery store to give it to him, lest it all end up on his shirt and pants in the car, and he was in HOG HEAVEN.  That kid did not let the straw come out of his mouth the entire trip.  He nursed it all the way home and when we got inside. 

Love it.  This face totally says "Hey, I know what that thing does, lemme play with it!  I love that camera thing!"  No, son.  No. (and don't you just love him in flip flops.  I LOVE them!)

Then we went out back and he would take a drink, set it down to run off, but then come right back for it.  Kayden watch the birds fly by in his car seat while I pulled three trash bags of weeds and you can't even tell I was out there.  I'm afraid of two things.....#1 that we will still have out of control weeds this year even though I've pre treated for them and #2 that my back will be useless tomorrow due to an inordinate amount of time bent over pulling them today.  Only time will tell for both.

Rains gone!

Oh man, it has rained for the last two days straight pretty much.  Finally this evening it stopped, and it was lovely outside!  I ran to the grocery store about 5, and half of the sky was grey, half was bright blue.  So dramatic!  Usually you see the clouds thinning and eventually they are gone, but not this time.  The cloud just.....stopped.  And it was blue sky and sunshine.  Very odd.  But the temperature was perfect and the smell was delicious.  That's something you don't get too much in the wet winter weather, the heavenly aroma of damp earth. 

On a completely random note, this afternoon I watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Oh. My. Goodness.  That was an experience.  And I do not get why it's such a big deal.  Is it because they cross dressed before it was more socially acceptable?  Is it because they treat sex like it's no big deal?  I don't know, but it was just odd.  At least I can say I've watched it now, but it was probably a first and last time kind of deal.  I wonder if Susan Sarandon is mortally embarrassed to have been in it.

Soooooo not the same

This afternoon the preschool at our church had their annual fundraising auction.  Mom and Dad and Ashley took Luke up there for a little while and I did some errands in the mean time kid free before meeting up with them.  Did you hear that?  KID FREE. 

That meant lunch.  KID FREE.  Any mom will tell you this is a magical thing.  I love my husband.  I love my son.  But sometimes a girl just needs to be ALONE.  Not on a date.  Not on mom duty.  Alone. 

So with this wonderful chance I took myself to Which Wich, and it came with a highly dissapointing suprise.  They didn't have Dr. Pepper.  They had........*GAAAAAAAASP* Mr. Pibb.  Uggggggggg, is there anything worse than that?  Where are we, England?  I couldn't believe that there was a food establishment in Texas that did not serve Dr. Pepper.  It's like saying, "Hey I know that you ordered Sprite, but here is some water.  It's the same since they're both clear, right?" 

Oh, so not right. 

But I suffered through the beverage for my rather taste sandwich.

Then I spent the entire rest of the day cleaning.  Remember how I said I need something highly motivating to get me to clean?  Well, small groups is at my house tomorrow night, and people keep emailing me saying they can come.  We have a pretty.....cozy.......house, and so far we've got 20 adults and 10 kids coming, and I haven't even heard from everyone.  No need to sit down when you're standing shoulder to shoulder.

Desperation and a date

This morning I was able to face the music and start the ole clean up process on the house.  First task on the list, was the dining room table so that I could push the computer to the middle of the table out of someone's reach.  But that someone got a little desperate for buttons and that lead to this. 

*sigh*  What am I going to do with him?

Also in the midst of my cleaning I finally recovered my ottomans.  Well, recovered one, it took so long that I'm putting the other one off until tomorrow. 

The new material is the black and white.  I'm not sure if I like it, it seems to be a little boring.  But the red and white was sooooooo nasty dirty from a little boy's cup/yogurt/food fingers/drool that I couldn't stand it any more. 

Okay, now I really do have to brag on my boy.  I know that mostly all I talk about is how much of a mess Luke is, but he really is a sweet sweet boy.  Tonight Cody went out to dinner and a game with some of his friends (one is getting married next weekend) so Luke took me out on a date.  See?  Sweet boy.  He took me to Cracker Barrel and he was a PERFECT gentleman.  No fits, no screaming, no fighting me tooth and nail.  We had a lovely dinner.  Only one little faux pas when he beltched like there was no bodies busisness, but I thought it was hysterical and I was actually sad I was the only one who got to witness it.  I love my kid!

Copy Cat

We all know children copy their parents.  We all know they like to shadow.  My shadow has picked up on a few things.  Maybe that's how he knew to lock the door.  Or blow his nose.  Now he's a pro at sewing.....

Typing on the computer...

(excuse the giant mess on the dinning room table, it's the reason the sewing machine is out and I'll tell you about what's going on later.  Get excited!)

And even what to do with the oven mit.  Obviously I cook all the time for him to want to immulate this.

Oh who am I kidding.  It's a fluke. 

He's also watched me empty dishwasher enough to know where things go (as well as play with all my pans enough to remember where he got those big flat metal toys).  When it's time to put the dishes away, first he will put up his spoons, then any cookie sheets and pots and pans.  That's all the things that are located on ground level, so after that he just hands me plates and cups and stuff. 

One things he does that he is NOT copying from me is laying on the floor, screaming, and thrashing all body parts around to protest the "no" I just told him.  It's lovely.  Where do kids get that from?  I mean, the stamping of the feet and screaming, I get that.  Heck.  I still do that.  But the full out tantrum on the floor?  Come on kid. 

Jehovah's Witness saves the day

There is no real intro to what happened this morning.  All I can do is start talking.

At about 9:45 this morning we were up, Luke had eaten breakfast and was playing, I was eating my pancakes and getting caught up on the computer.  There was a knock at the door.  It was Jehovah's Witnesses (ladies this time, I've never seen lady JW before) and Luke and I hid while the dog barked at them.  You know, her YIP YIP YIP.  They left, we went back to what we were doing, and I had a post brewing in my head about why do I feel guily about not answering the door when it's MY house?  It's my choice right?  But that's not what I'm here to tell you about. 

A good hour later I realize that the day is going to get pretty warm, so I need to go out to the garage and look at the pre-emergent fertilizer that I bought yesterday, lest I wait to long, it not be effective, and we've got weedapallooz again this year.  I tried to get Luke to put his shoes on so he could play in the backyard while I figured out how to work this stuff, but he wouldn't so I made him stay inside.  Now before you get all "CPS! CPS!  Child left unattended!" I was only going out to read the directions of what do to, therefore only going to be gone a couple of minutes.  As soon as I shut the back door behind me Luke tried his darn best to get that door open by twisting the door knob. 

Guess what I forgot was on the door knob?  A push lock.  Do you see where I'm going with this?

After a couple of minutes of reading the directions on the fertilizer pagkage, I get a game plan in my head of how to attack the lawn and try to get back inside.

The door is locked.  Locked.  From the inside.  Where my child is.  Alone. 

My mind went blank and then started racing.  What do I do?  Where do I go?  Who do I call?  What do I call on?  Will anyone be home?  I didn't have my cell phone, therefore I knew not a one phone number.  I know pretty much all of my neighbors are at work.  Finally I run next door to try and start the knocking process, when who do I see? 

The Jehovah's Witness ladies. 

Oh man, I'm gonna have to ask them for help, aren't I Lord?  He said yes.  So I did.  I sucked it up and asked them if they had a cell phone.  Of course they were nice as could be and handed one right over.  But then I told them I was locked out, my 20 month old was in there, and I had no idea who to call.  Then one of the ladies asked if it was a push lock or a dead bolt.  I said push lock, and she said she knew how to jimmy it open with a credit card.  WHAT.  You've got to be kidding.  She said she got locked out of her house not too long ago and she managed to get back in this way.  So we all trooped back to the garage and after jiggling and pushing and scraping for several long minutes (and chit chatting with the other lady, because really, what was I to do?), she GOT IT OPEN.  And there was my child, laughing at the big panicky game he had created.  Then we all hugged, they gave me their book, and were on their way. 

Maybe they were sent to my neighborhood this morning to convert someone, or maybe they were just sent to help a poor helpless soul back into her house. 

Either way, the only injury sustained was by my pancake plate, which I had left on the computer desk and SOMEONE was trying to be sneaky and play on the computer while Momma was no where to be found.  (yes, that's strawberry syrup everywhere)

(and I guess you could say my pride sustained injury too, in the course of the chit chat the lady commented that I was the one with scripture on the door.  She didn't, however, comment that it was also the door with the YIP YIP YIPping dog and the kid giggling and no adult answering the knocking.)
And here is the culprit with my new reading material.

And if you are wondering where Kayden was today his momma was fortuantly/unfortunantly sick today so his grandma was at his house taking care of them.  Good thing, cause I have no idea how I would have explained that to her.  Also, I have a plan formed of how to avoid this for next time, but like I'm gonn tell you!  You might break in my house!

FYI

Did you know you are supposed to change the needle on your sewing machine more than once a decade?  ME EITHER!!!

The last time I made an embellished onesie it seemed like the needles was tearing little holes in the fabric.  It was almost like it was dull or too big.  I've had it in the back of my head ever since then that I wanted to go and get a smaller needle for such projects, but I kept putting it off because I didn't want to deal with trying to find one for such an old machine and I didn't want to pay $20 (because that's how much I assumed they would be without any basis in fact) and I felt overwhelmed with trying to figure out how to actually do the the switch once I obtained the needle.  Plus I just kept forgetting to go to Handcock's. 

I finally worked up the nerve today.

As I was driving away from the house I realized that I forgot to write down the name and model number of the sewing machine, so with a sinking feeling I knew I was only going to be able to look and get a feel for what kind of choices there were out there and I would have to go back later.  When I got to the store I got the shock of my life.

There was only one choice- standard size.  They were cheap- $2.49 for FOUR needles.  And it said clearly on the front "for lightweight fabric".  What?!?!  How in the world did I blow this so out of proportion? 

I took my selections up to the lady and started asking her my questions.  My first one was to confirm that the needles do in fact go dull.  The lady actually laughed at me.  She said of course they go dull, she replaces her's every couple of weeks.  Again, I say What?!?!  I must be sewing with a spoon by now.  No wonder I had holes.  And then I asked if it would be tricky to replace the existing needle.  She said all you did was screw it in.  Are you kidding?  That's it?  And she was right.  There is a little screw in the side of the needle holder and you just unscrew it, slide the old one out and the new one in, then tighten the screw.  Ta da!  I couldn't believe how dramatic I had made the whole thing in my head. 

I'm now equipt with the knowledge of how to replace a possibly too dull sewing machine needle.  So have no fear, I will never sew with a spoon again. 

Major Attack

So over the weekend I had a major attack of the allergies.  If you live in Texas, you kind of can't avoid it, but this weekend was extra bad.  Like Saturday night I only got 1 1/2 hours of sleep and went through an entire roll of toilet paper.  Today my nose is stopped up, but my energy has yet to kick back in.

But did Luke get the memo?  Of course not.  At this very moment, as I type, he is doing short bursts of SCREAMING at the top of his lungs from his bed.  And he's been in there for at least 30 minutes. 

This afternoon I caught him with my box of kleenex's.  He was pulling out a tissue, blowing his nose in it, throwing it down, and getting another.  I think he went through about 10 tissues before I got them away from him.  You know you've been blowing your nose a lot when a 20 month old can do it. 

Did you catch that?  My baby is 20 months old!  I can't believe in 4 short months I'll have a 2 year old.  Holy moly.  Have I really been doing this mom thing for that long?  Am I an old pro yet?  Can you be an old pro with only one kid?  Somehow I feel like I'm not quite a mom-ish as other moms who have mulitple kids.  Like only having one is sissy stuff and the real old pro's have 3 or 4 kiddos running around.  And now I hear my kid let out another scream, and I'm thinking I'll stick with the sissy stuff for awhile.