Time for a word

Well, my camera's battery is dead. And, although I like to think that I am organized, I can't find the charger. So, I have been thinking everyday I would find it so that I could take some new pictures and update you guys in internet land as to our status. But lo, I can not. So, and update without pictures. Please, don't hate me. And, I am pretty sure that neither of my kids like tomoatoes, so don't be throwing them our way ;)

First of all, the exciting news: GRACE CAME HOME!!! That's right folks. After three weeks of visiting who knows who or what, she showed up yesterday morning meowing away in our neighbor's yard. I scaled the fence to get her and have been paying the price in sore muscles.

Sophie, we have found, is a daredevil. She climbs everything she can, slides down slides on her own, uses her cunning speed to get to the dog food bowl before being caught by an adult, and did I mention she likes to challenge her gut by eating the unimaginable? I am pretty sure she could win on a game show with some of the things she eats- bugs, wood, dirts, metal, rocks, etc. If you think its inedible, she can prove you wrong!

Sullivan learned about Mrs. S this week. For those of you who don't know, she is Scared of Silly Montsters and Such, and has Super Socks so that she can blast into Space when she is Scared. Try saying that at four!

Ok, I will have to post later. I am not gonna name names, but someone is climbing in my lap yelling "boob" at the top of her lungs. I said I wouldn't say names though. Yeah, she is old enough to wean, don't even go there. She doesn't seem to get it!

Sullivan, the Brave

Sullivan did great today! We ended up just going for the tubes based on past anesthesia experience. We are going to hopefully hold off on the tonsils until he is bigger and can be better controlled with anesthesia. He was SOOOO brave though. We got there at 6 am, he was telling everyone how Dr. Dejong (he says dushawn) was gonna make him hear again. He told us his throat hurt and that he needed to stop by Dr. Tomlin's office on the way. We assured him that as soon as he was done, he would be able to drink and then his throat would feel much better. He was so happy that they were going to fix him- which makes me sad to think how frustrated he must have been. He took a magic ride on the bed down the hall to the OR, got to open the magic doors, and blow the magic balloon (the one that makes you drift softly into LALA land ;) ). They all kept saying what a brave little guy he was. He thanked the doctor when it was all done and kept telling the nurses thank you. He was a perfect little gentleman and did quite well with the anesthesia. He woke up groggy, saying his ears hurt- but they said that he hasn't been able to hear for so long that everything was probably really loud to him. When we were released, we got in the car, and he asked us to take him to McDonalds for hashbrowns. He threw up the minute we pulled in the parking lot. And he threw up again, and again and again. We let him out of his seat to go lay on the back seat and have mommy hold his head and help him make it home. Once we got home, he did better and finally started drinking water. Then, he had a whole day of being able to play with us whatever he wanted. I had no idea you could build so many different geo trax! He is fine now, sleeping in bed. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Is Crying Allowed?

If so, I am gonna do it. But, I find while mothering my children, being a wife to Aaron, and keeping up with life in general, there is just no time for me to cry! Sullivan woke up saying his ears were hurting Friday morning. He also said he can't hear anything. His one month checkup was supposed to be Tuesday (the one where the ENT was GONNA tell me I was right, he was wrong, he didn't need tubes, and that antibiotics worked), but LO the ENT was right, he needs tubes. Pretty badly apparently, as he adjusted his schedule to fit Sullivan in first thing tomorrow morning (we have to be there at 6 AM!)! He wants to take out his tonsils as well, as they are HUGE- 80 percent coverage of his throat. I am opposed to the surgery, daddy is pro, so I am not sure what will happen tomorrow morning. Its just so drastic, so painful, and I am the one who has been home for a week already with these sick children! Anyway, pray for us tomorrow morning PLEASE!

So, what else? Oh yeah, our precious, sweet, loving kitty Grace ran away Wednesday. Its pretty heartbreaking not knowing what has happened to her. We miss her dearly, and it doesn't help that its been freezing cold every night this week. We are very sad.

We started cloth diapering two weeks ago. I absolutely love it. I am serious. They have all of these super cute diapers now (see Sophie showing off her pig diaper), and now make these baby legs- the leg warmers in the picture. Its actually alot easier than I thought, a lot cleaner- she stays so healthy and dry, and alot cheaper (well if they didn't make such cute diapers, it would be cheaper!). Anyway, I wish I had started earlier and had done it with Sullivan! If you think I am crazy, search for Fuzzibunz, they are our diaper of choice (well I have a few super cute blueberry diapers as well), and see how easy cloth diapering is today.

And lastly, Friday night, I hosted Bunco for our mom's group at my house. We had so much fun!!! I haven't laughed so hard ever. Maria laughed so hard that she honked. Listen closely in the video, and towards the end, its there- a human honk! We really do love you Maria! Thanks for so much fun ladies!

My big kids

I was reading a friend's blog the other day, and listening to her talk about how big her son was getting made me realize just how big my kids are.

Sullivan is four! I mean, it feels like I just had him, honestly. It feels like I was just all giddy at seeing those two pink lines. But, it was almost five years ago that I saw them. Five years! Sullivan is quite a four year old. He has quite an attitude, and he will tell you like it is when he wants. But, he also has quite a heart. He dresses himself now (which is why he usually looks the way he does- I swear I buy him nice clothes, but he is under the impression that red matches red from the head to the foot, and he also believes that wearing two shoes that match is just dumb). He now eats what we eat- quite an accomplishment there! I can ask him to help with Sophie, or to do little jobs around the house, and he does. He uses his manners (most of the time). He participates intelligently in our converstations, for example- the other day, we were in the living room watching tv. Aaron says, "Can't we watch something besides football please?" So, I turn on a movie that was tivoed. He says, "This is football! Please, can we watch something else!" So, I turn on the Grey's Anatomy episode that was tivoed. Sullivan says, " I am not gonna sit around here watching all this doctoring with yall, now turn on something we all want to watch- you know cartoons!" He was SOOOOO serious.

He knows his letters and numbers and sounds out 3 and 4 letter words. He potties by himself, feeds himself, entertains himself. I mean, before I know it, my little man is gonna be an actual man. I try to instill values in him every day that I want him to have as a man- people are always laughing at me when they hear me explaining to him what a gentleman would do, but I want him to be a chilvarous, rare exception to men when he is grown! I just wish he wasn't growing up so fast. I try to cherish the small moments and relish in the little details of his childhood, but it seems to be going by in such a blur. I mean, if I could find a way not to blink, I would. The other night, he had been asleep for a few hours, and he came in my room wide eyed. I was so worried that he was gonna be awake for the rest of the night. But, he said, "Mom, can you just cuddle me for a little while?" Ahhhh..... yes! I can! And, I did. I held on tight to his little body. I rubbed his head, and smelled him a thousand times. I felt his warmth and tried to ingrain it in my memory forever. I tried to involve as many as my senses as possible so that I could remember that moment forever. If I can hold on to that moment, he really won't grow up- at least not to me. He can always stay my baby.

And Sophie, she is a year old already. I mean, for real? Didn't I just have her? She is growing so fast. She no longer has any desire left to crawl. Its so funny to watch her try to get somewhere fast, because she is not a fast walker yet. She has to sit down if she starts going too fast and take a break, get back up again, and try for more. She is tough- it takes a lot to make her cry- and trust me, Sullivan has proven that theory. She follows along with the big kids, having no idea that she isn't their age. She has quite a vocabulary now- mama, dada, dog, cat, bath, bye, up, down, ball- I am sure there are more. She will repeat just about anything you say. She is still my baby though. And, while I like to say that I get frustrated with her lack of sleep and continuous nursing, its allowing me to hold on to her just a little longer. I relish the quiet moments when all she wants is for me to hold her close. To feel her warm little body fit perfectly next to mine, pat her back, and give her kisses brings great joy to my heart. It allows me to pretend that she can't play peekaboo with herself in the mirror (oh yeah, she can say boo too!). It allows me to pretend that she can't sit for twenty minutes and play a game with Sullivan, or drink out of a real cup, or do all of the little girl things that she does. She is starting to reach for her daddy from me- quite an accomplishment trust me! She is starting to crack up laughing at his jokes and enjoy his presence as much as mine and her brothers'. The other day, she was in the car, and they were watching a movie. She was intently staring at the tv, and I saw her giggle. She understood what was happening on the show enough to giggle! How big is that? She is definitely turning into a toddler, but a girl can pretend right? I can pretend she is still a baby right? Why do they have to grow?

Updates and the such

Well, even though it has only been a few days, lots has happened over here! First off, Uncle Charlie ran in the race he had been training for months for! 26 miles! Go you, Uncle Charlie, we are sooooo proud of you! Secondly, I am officially 30. That's right, no more old jokes, I am the senior here! Thirdly, I had a wonderful birthday that I just have to share. I also thought I would share our newest pictures with Miss Sarah. She did us quite well (AGAIN). I LOVE the LSU (or L shoe as Sullivan says) pictures, and am so happy. I will have to scan Sullivan's pictures from his first birthday soon so you can see them- he was in an LSU jersey.

So, onto my birthday. I had a group of friends take me out Thursday night to celebrate. It was the best (and fastest) three hours I have had in a long time. I don't think I have laughed that hard in forever. My cheeks hurt when I came home. Saturday night, Aaron came home and rushed Sullivan out the door quickly. They were gone for a few hours (until midnight when I finally crashed). In the morning, Sullivan came in and sang me happy birthday, and then told me he wasn't allowed to tell me that he had gotten me presents and cards. "You know mom, I can't tell you about the frog, the train, the wagon, and the cement foot. " I was really worried after hearing that list. But, Aaron came in and scooted him out, they got my presents, and I had a blast! Sullivan got me a bag full of things. We take him every year to the dollar store to pick out presents for family members. We love doing this, because he feels accomplished, and its cute to see what he picks out. So, apparenlty, Aaron let him have fun in the dollar section of Target. I got some spatulas (you know for cooking), a football necklace (because I want you to look pretty when you watch football), a stuffed frog (because you needed something to sleep with), a wooden train (and as soon as I opened it, he asked if I would share it with him), and a few other goodies. They also got me the new Mario brothers game that I have been wanting for the Wii. Then, they came in with two HUGE presents. I was kind of nervous. But, Sullivan picked out a frying machine since I told his Daddy last week that he couldn't fy things in my house any more because of the big mess. He picked out the one that had a picture of chicken nuggets AND shrimp because who would want one that can only fry chicken? They made funnel cakes in it! And, they got me a mini crock pot because my last one broke and I haven't been able to make cheese dip since.

Then, all day, Sullivan kept telling me, mom, the party's still on. Anytime I would try to rest, he would remind me that it was a party. For my birthday dinner, Sullivan thought I would love to go to CiCi's pizza. I was very disappointed that the Cowboys lost, but hey, you can't have it all right? Anyway, it was a wonderful day. I did just what I wanted to- relaxed with my kiddos and huuby! Perfect!

The Big Three Oh

Well, its time to face reality. Tomorrow is coming whether I like it or not. I can not stop it. Tomorrow, I will be thirty. That's right folks thirty. What's bad is that if you are one of my lucky family who remembers the Friday the 13th that I was born, you are actually REALLY old ;) I am not really stressed about it too much. I think what gets me the most is that I look at people and think they look old, then find out they are like 32. I mean, in my head, I am still about 20. So, I think I look about 20. I haven't been carded like EVER, so its obvious that I don't look it. But still, I can keep up the game in my head right? In my 30 years, I have done alot, I have also been lazy alot, and have learned alot. I am lucky enough to have the best friendships and girl could ever ask for. I still have wonderful relationships from high school and college, and am now having the time of my life with my friends here in College Station. I am thankful to be where I am at and at the time in my life I am. But still, am I seriously 30?

Charlie is running in the 26 mile race in Houston tomorrow, good luck little brother! Make me proud ;)

P B & Thank God No J

Seriously, if you are having financial issues, please stop paying for your birth control pills, and just read my site. Its free, and it has to be more effective than those things after you hear what my kids do! Here is Sullivan's phone conversation with my mom Wednesday night (the same day that he escaped in the backyard to be attacked by the killer ladybug):

Sullivan :"Hey Nanny!"
Nanny: "Hey Sullivan, how was your day today?"
Sullivan : "Good, but mommy had a grumpy day."
Nanny: "She did? Why?"
Sullivan: "Well, I put peanut butter on the bed, and that was not good."
Nanny: "You did?"
Sullivan: "AND I put peanut butter on the walls, and that was not good."
Nanny: "Sullivan."
Sullivan: "AND I put peanut butter on my cars, and that was not good."
Nanny: "Oh Sullivan"
Sullivan: "AND I put peanut butter on my pillows and my floor, and that was not good."
.................

Yes, the child who escaped and promised me he would lay down and watch a movie apparently lied. He got the peanut butter and PAINTED his room. Not a little bit either, remember, I shop at Sam's. So, we get the industrial sized Jiffy far. That's right. How many kids do you want?

He called his daddy shortly after I found the "masterpiece" because I literally couldn't handle it. I didn't want to fly off the handle and lose it. He told his father of his indiscretions, and when Aaron asked him why, he simply replied, "I didn't know what it would look like."

Hooter Hider

So, in the four years since Sullivan was a baby, the best baby invention I have found is the Hooter Hider. It is literally what it sounds like- it hides your "hooters" while nursing in public. It has empowered me to nurse in some pretty unusual places. Nice when you have a second child who doesn't want to hide out in the bathroom when you nurse. Here's the website if you are interested in what the company says about them. http://www.bebeaulait.com/?gclid=CMWRmZKR6pACFSUpIgodawQkXg

Anyway, I have used the same one with Sophie since she was probably 2 weeks old. My friend Tiff, used to joke that pulling the orange patterned hooter hider out of the diaper bag would make her salivate. She knows what its for, trust me. A month or so ago, a friend of Aaron's was over here, and Sophie kept trying to get me to nurse her. She finally crawled over to the coffee table, got the hooter hider, and brought it to me, like "Hello, come on mom, is this what you are waiting for to feed me?" We couldn't believe that an 11 month old could understand what she was doing. Until.......

the other night, Aaron and I were watching the LSU game (yes, we are the national champs, thank you very much!), and Sophie got the Hooter Hider off of the couch and brought it to the fireplace. We didn't know what she was doing until she put it on, then picked up a baby. She never quite figured out how to feed the baby, but her intentions were clear. Is she seriously this grown? She went for her 1 year checkup today, and now she is a big girl. Up until today, every time we go, we have to strip her down for weight on the baby scale, and a thermometer in her heiney. Today, she got to stand on the big kid scale fully clothed, and have her temp taken under her arm! She is an even 20 pounds (not sure how much her clothes and stuff weigh), and 28 inches long. She is the 25th percentile for both. She looks great!

And, as a side note, can I share my baby while being an angel? Don't you love a sleeping baby picture? He will always be my little baby! Even though- today while we were all supposedly sleeping, I hear a wierd noise. It sounded like a cat in the back yard, so I listened again only to realize it was a kid. I was wondering who had their kids home, turned off the tv, and realized it was MY kid in the backyard screaming. I ran out there, to find him butt naked climbing on the OUTSIDE of the playhouse. He was screaming because he had a ladybug on him. Apparently he had to poop, decided he didn't need a nap (or clothes in 50 degree weather), and would play outsided rather than bother me. So, I need to look at this sleeping angel picture to keep my sanity!

Happy Birthday Triniwee

This weekend, one of our favorite little friends had her third birthday party. It was quite sad for me because we met Triniwee (as Sullivan has always called her- its really Trinity) when she was 16 months old. Sullivan- for the longest time- called her his "baby friend". I have seen her develop so much, that its crazy. It is hard to remember now how little she was, but to see her turn three was incredible. She is such a cute big girl! Anyway, she wanted a princess party. Her mother, Therese, commented to me a while back that next year they would do a more "boy friendly" theme. I told her that as long as no one told Sullivan that princesses were just for girls, he would never know. So, when he got excited about the princess plates and hat, and posed for this picture, I couldn't help but take it. But, when we got home with the goodie bag (that Therese apologized for 100 times- how it wasn't the cars one she had gotten), I wish I had videod his reaction. "A princess notebook? I LOVE princesses, and I have never had anything princess. Princess snacks- oh my goodness, I love princess snacks." I am so happy that he isn't corrupted yet and can still enjoy things that he likes regardless of what other people tell him.

After the party, the kids were hyped full of sugar, had already been fed, and were ready for some fun, so we went to the new jumping place that opened in town. It was a blast, I

have a feeling we will spend any free time and any free money there. Sophie's favorite word is "jumpy", so you know she had a blast. And, its a good thing Sullivan was wearing a red shirt, it showe us just how red his face actually was. HE had so much fun. He even got brave enough to scale the mountain, and got a black dot with a permanent marker on his hand to prove it (thanks jumpy place- bright idea!).(this is Sophie, and yes, she is as high as she looks, she scaled this all by herself trying to get to the birthday girl, Trinity!)

Mind if I share Some Pictures?

Ok, let me tell you about our trip now that we are home. We spent the first night in Baton Rouge with Aaron's family. Sullivan had so much fun with Gram and Pop, he kept telling me that they are "lovely". He loved playing with cousin Logan, and Sophie loved pinched cousin Wyatt. Can you believe that? She kept pinching the innocent chunky monkey of a 5 month old!

(anyone notice the open flames next to PawPaw's oxygen mask? Probably not a good combo)

Anyway, from there, we went to my grandparents house. It was so nice! My cousin, Toscha (whom I literally grew up with, she is as close of a sister as I have), was there with her two kids. It was SOOOOO crazy, they have grown so much. She has Rebekah, who was the reason Aaron ever wanted kids. Well, the sweet, sassy, always talking three year old that we once admired has now turned into a little lady. I am serious. She is 7 now, and I was so impressed with her. I remember once when she was 4 and incredibly "4". Now it was my turn to have the fun of the "

4" year old! Sullivan ran smack into a drum set, so if you notice any bruises in the pictures, they are from that. Toscha also has a 2 1/2 year old sweety pie Sarah Marie. I had so much fun watching her and listening to her. She has literally blossomed since the last time I saw her. Its so frieky though, because she is IDENTICAL to Toscha, and its odd to see. Its like looking at Toscha as a kid. The funny thing that I have to tell you (don't shoot me Tosh!) is that Toscha has always dressed her children VERY well. They are always perfectly put together in darling smocked dresses that match. Well, Sarah Marie got a princess dress the day of the party, and would not take it off. She looked adorable, but if you see a cute kid in the photos wearing princess clothes over her outfit, that would be Sarah Marie! My other cousins were there too- I got to see Sophie making out with Sara's baby Shyanne- so cute! Sullivan had a blast playing with his cousins Corey and Connor. Kristen (Elizabeth's little one) was super cute. She is a little diva, and was so fun to watch opening all of her princess accessories. Man, what cute kids we all make! WTG ladies (I guess the men had a little to do with this). I loved getting to hang out with all of our family, and especially meeting my newest family member- Jeff. Congrats Elizabeth (she got married last night), I heard you were a GORGEOUS bride! I don't doubt it.

Uncle Charlie (my brother) has quite a sense of humor and brought a cake to the party. It was really funny. And, my Nanny had the best idea ever- she bought everyone shirts with hillarious sayings on them. My PawPaw's had a picture of a squirrel saying "I am so old I forgot where I put my nuts." My mom's said "I am confused, wait maybe I am not." My dad's said "I used to care, now I take a pill for that." Everyone had hillarious sayings, it was perfect!

Then, Dad took the kids and I to the aquarium in New Orleans. It was sooooo nice. I wish I had a whole day without kids to go and read all of the info there. Here is Sullivan touching a REAL shark.

g

Do you ever Wonder?

Sometimes, I get a few seconds (I am not going to be brave enough to say minutes) to sit back and just think. Sometimes, the thinking is worse for me than you would imagine. Sometimes, the thinking is forced upon me. You know, when you are walking through Sam's with a 50 pound bag of dog food, a 40 pound bag of cat food, a 50 pound bag of cat litter, various groceries (of which amount to $240), holding a squirming one year old who doesn't find shopping particularly her "style" quite yet, trying to turn the buggy with these heavy things in it (one of which being a 40 pound 4 year old who CHOOSES to wear a red rain boot and a mickey mouse croc - "yes thank you I do know he is wearing two different shoes- there are worse things in life- right?". Moments like these lead you to wonder with no care about the lack of time. Moments like these lead you to wonder how in the world people have more than two children. Moments like these, wait did my kid just tell the checkout lady that he has a smelly booty? Oh Lord, I have to get back in the game and stop wondering. What did you say? My baby is spilling my coke all over the floor- sorry.

My oh so big Sophie has learned to walk. She has learned to pull her brother's hair. She has learned to cry at the perfect moment as to get him in trouble. She has learned that she can refuse to sit in a buggy or a high chair and that if she cries loud enough, we won't make her because we are too embarrassed. She has learned that she can hold her pee in until right AFTER a diaper change, then soak through the next diaper just in time to be picked up. She has learned that the bows her mother desperately works so hard to coordinate with her outfit, get to sit in the perfect spot in her hair, just don't work for her, and that they are more fun to pull out and eat. She has learned that anything is edible- except peas. She will eat paper, trash, coins, metal, diapers, bread, etc., but hide a pea deep inside of a bowl of anything, she will find that pea and spit it further than you can imagine. Oh yeah, she has learned to spit. And thinking about all of these things she has learned leaves me wondering why in the heck people have 10 kids!?! :)

My oh so handsome Sullivan- who currently has a unicorned size knot in the middle of his forehead that has a nice pooled collection of dried blood inside of it (he just didn't see the large drum set that he walked right into LAST Saturday)- has learned lots of stuff too. He has learned that he has to put up with hair pulling, crying, and whining, and pretend to actually love the puller. He has learned to score a mean 168 at bowling (on the wii). He has learned how to fly an actual airplane (on the wii). He has learned how to drive three different remote control cars. He has learned that if you cry hard enough about something Santa "forgot" to bring you (even though you got more for Christmas than the average class of 20), your mother- who has lost her ability to think, will go to the store and buy a large- taking over of the living room- crashing cars set. Did I say crashing? Yes, they crash, loudly. He has learned to recognize numbers up to 1000. Pretty impressive for someone his size, except when he tells you after seeing his weight on the scale and my weight on the scale that his 40 is bigger than mine. Not quite little buddy, but it makes me feel better to pretend that too!

When I have time to wonder, I wonder how a smile only an inch and a half long can make you cry. I wonder how the hug of a four year old can change your whole demeanor for the day. I wonder how anyone can watch a wobbly baby stand up on her own two feet and take steps, can listen to a child who was not around four years ago sing his version of "Jesus is the Reason for the Season", and can see the sparkle in little eyes when they see that their momma got them something that Santa forgot and got not believe in God. Surely, my kids are not here by accident. Surely, genetics and amoeba could not have come together to paint these wonderful little masterpieces. Wait, I think I am thinking too much, I am almost considering taking my kids to Target with me. Someone please knock some sense into me!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year friends and family!!! Man, have we had an exciting week! We spent it in New Orleans and Baton Rouge visiting friends and family. I had so much fun seeing all of you that I haven't seen in so long! My kids had a blast too, and now have more toys than kids should. But, thanks for all of the fun gifts. Sullivan is sleeping right now on the floor in my bedroom on his new cars sleeping bag, in his Cars tent, with all of his new cars with him. Aaron got a "claw" game from my Nanny, and he and Sullivan have played it almost nonstop for the past 24 hours. Its hillarious to watch how frustrated they get. Since I posted last, Sophie is an official walker. She walks EVERYWHERE! Look out world! She has learned to play peekaboo, and its hillarious. She started by handing you the blanket to play with her, and now she can put it over her face and pull it down saying "boo" in a tiny baby voice. She sits in front of the mirror playing it with herself. TOOOOO cute! Sullivan wants to play his Leapster nonstop now, and has had so much fun with all of these cool new toys. He got some see in the dark binoculars that are one of his favorite things. He thinks he is so cool walking around seeing everything.

I will have to fill you in more on our trip later, but for now, I thought I would share our biggest lessons learned in 2007.

1) Welcoming a new family member that is only 5 pounds and screams alot is more fun than anyone will ever know. You can not know how much you can love someone who screams all day until you get one of your very own :)

2) Watching a little boy develop into a full blown- boy is more fun than can be described. This year, Sullivan has learned to wrestle and talk like a boy (you know about burps and toots and hineys). While he tends to talk about stuff he shouldn't at the wrong times, its fun to realize he is a full blown boy.

3) It is possible to love someone more every day even after 7 years! I love you Aaron!

4) Our biggest lesson of this year is to love our family and let them know every day. Watching Sophie almost die was more of a wake up call than we can describe. Knowing how fast life can slip through your hands really showed us the value of a life and taught us not to take anyone for granted.

5) Watching a baby learn to smile, laugh, sit, crawl, and now walk is more exciting than any bowl game out there!