A Masters and a Mom

Happy turkey day!

2011-11-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

Oh, to be grateful, really grateful. Grateful for what you have and the people in your lives. Grateful for the person you are and the people who have had a hand in making you that person. I am grateful, not only for the things I have but for the people in my life.

I am grateful for my parents, and my brother. They have set the base for my life and the building blocks of who I am. They are the ones that taught me to care about myself as well as others. They are the ones that taught me to fight for what I want and to not give up. I think my brother made me the fighter. The one that made me think about how I could change things around to get in my way.

I am grateful for my husband. The man that made me love. The one that stands by my side through the thick and thin. I am grateful for the fact that he can make me laugh, but also that he can make me feel safe and cared for. I am grateful for his ability to provide for our family.

I am grateful for my boys.

For O, who challenges me everyday. The one that makes me stop and think what really matters. The one that gives me a run for my money.

Then there is Little B. My baby. The one that has made me a mom of two. The one that has taught me to multi-task. The one that has taught me how to let things go and enjoy the time right now. The one that has taught me to slow down and look around.

There is so much to be thankful for. There is so much to stop and think about. I am so fortunate to have these people in my life, I wish this for everyone.

Happy Turkey Day!

What November

2011-11-02T13:53:00.000-04:00

Holly cow where has the time gone? I can't even believe that Halloween is over and now November? This is the time of year when things kick into high gear and time really flys.

So Halloween was fun this year. O was a hit and loved everything that we did. He was a pirate this year and I have to say I loved his costume! Grandma made it for him and it turned out so so good.

He had a parade at school and then a little party. It was just too cute. The party was cute too, but I can't say much about it since he told me to go home. I was ok with it since I did have his little brother with me and I am sure he did not want him around.

We were able to carve one pumpkin this year. The other three either got eaten by the squirrels or just went bad.

Little B had fun trying to carve but as you can see he wanted nothing to do with getting his picture taken with the final result.

Halloween night was a little stressful at first. It started off with Hubby having to change my flat tire on the car, and he is not a car person. Thank goodness for a passing neighbor who came to the rescue and helped him out. Little B did not understand the costume thing so he had a fit and O just did not want his picture taken.

But Little B did learn about the candy and settled down and had a great night.

O had a wonderful night and got lots of candy. The Halloween witch came that night and gave them each a wonderful gift for their candy, and thanks to my lovely neighbor, the candy is gone. It went to a program that will send it to our troops.

What a great day!

Please just pick me up......

2011-09-22T13:46:00.000-04:00

I don't care if your back is hurting.

   Yes, it is true. I did it again. My back is killing me. But this time I did it in and I am down and out. Now this story starts back in June when I first hurt my back. I pulled some mussels during one of my Stroller Strides class. It put me down for a week or so and them I was moving again. Well I thought at least. Looking back at the summer, I have been headed down hill all summer.

    Before the first injury I was moving and grooving. I was exercising 6 days a week. I was running/walking 4 miles pushing both boys in the stroller. After the injury I have not been able to do the walking and running I was doing. Every time I thought I was back on my feet I would hurt it again. It just became a nagging hurt until last week. I simply bent down to buckle Little B's shoe and I felt a pinch. It was all down hill from there. By the next day I was at the Chiropractor and could hardly get off the table. I needed help to get the kids in the car and home. Xrays show that there are some bulging disks which are pinching nerves.

   So here we are almost 2 weeks later and I am getting by day by day. With meds on board I am able to get through the day. I start physical therapy tomorrow and hopefully that will help. But let me tell you my house is not the same with me under the weather. It has been hard. The boys are use to being outside and doing different activities, but this week has been a lot of sitting in the house. Which means more fitting, screaming, crying and frustration. It has not been fun and has not helped me feel any better about myself.

    With that said, today we did make it to the park and met some friends, who thank god, helped me keep the boys safe. The boys had fun, but Little B still just wants me to pick him up. It is so hard when he does not understand that mommy can't do it. I don't want to drop him and hurt him, so there is very little picking up.

    Tomorrow is hopefully the start to my recovery. The first steps to getting me back to where I was back in June. The first steps to getting my family happy and healthy. My fingers are crossed that this works and I don't have to go through this again. Here is to tomorrow. The pressure is on.

17 Months

2011-09-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

He is 17 months old today!

Boy do I love him!!! He is getting so big. He is running and playing. He is a car lover. He thinks about everything before he does it. He surprises me with the things he does. The things he knows and how smart he is. He watches everyone doing everything and then it sticks, next thing I know he is doing it himself.

Boy what a big boy he is.

I love him!

Pre K

2011-09-05T20:34:00.000-04:00

Yes it is the first day of Pre K!!

I can't believe it. My baby is in pre K. Next year he will be on the bus going to kindergarten. He is getting so big and he did so well today. Now he was only there for an hour but he did great. This is the first time I have left him at a school he did not know. He has been in daycare up till this year so I was not worried about him knowing about school but he is not good with change. So going to a school he does not know could have been a big deal. He did great. Although he was the first injury of the year. Yes he feel on the playground he is ok though.

He is excited to go back which is tomorrow and this time he goes for the whole 3 hours. I can't wait to see how he does and what he says when he comes home.

Irene

2011-09-02T20:50:00.000-04:00

Well we made it. We prepared and then waited for it to come. It seemed like forever for it to come. On Saturday we did some last minute shopping and a stop at the park to run some energy off. Then the storm hit. We made it through. We lost power Saturday evening after we had dinner, got the baths done and even watched a movie before bedtime for the kids. I was up most the night just watching the trees in our back yard. I was hoping they would all stay in place and they did. I will have to say is was scary. But we made it with only a mess and now power.

We lost power for 83 hours. That was a long time. But we had a small generator that my in laws let us use so we could power the fridge and freezer. We were even able to hook up a tv and the cable so we had contact with the outside world. That helped. But we did a lot of family time playing which was good.

83 hours of no power got old. It was just a pain in the but, I had to make sure I was home to babysit the generator and I had a hard time starting it. But the weather was wonderful, so we did not need to use the air conditioner. That was great since we had no power. As the time went on I just reminded myself of how lucky we were. We had a house, our family, and a generator to help keep some power. We were not in the same place as our neighbors who were not as lucky as we were.

They were lucky that no one was hurt, but the house is not doing so well. So I made sure not to complain during this whole time, since I am really lucky.

The power is back on and life is getting back to normal. I hurt my back trying to start the generator and that is getting better. The house is almost back to normal and it is quiet outside, which is wonderful. I would have to say the noise from all the generators was unreal and now it is quiet and I love it.

So for now good bye to Irene. Hopefully she will be the only storm to hit use this year, but who knows.

Earthquake!!

2011-08-24T20:37:00.000-04:00

   Yes that is right. A earthquake in Maryland. It was yesterday, but I had a busy day so I am just getting around to writing about it.

     Now living in Maryland I never thought about earthquakes. The just don't happen, right? That is how I see it. In fact I was under the impression that there were no faults under this side of the country so we were good. Well I was wrong.

     We were at the pool when it hit. In fact we were getting ready to come home. It had been a day with the boys and I was looking forward to nap time when we got home. I was sitting on a lounge chair putting Little B's diaper on when I felt the first little movement. At first I thought the chair was going to flip over and we would have round three with my injured back. But I was wrong. My next thought was a large truck just passed by, but I did not hear anything. Then the ground beneath my feet felt like it was rolling. It felt like I was on a boat, but I was not. O was standing just a few feet away from me, saying "mommy what is going on? Why is the ground shaking." I looked at this man who was working at the pool, and he said "that's an earthquake." I shook my head yes and he ran and cleared the swimmers from the pool.

It was only about 20 seconds long and it was done. I don't think I was scared, but excited and weirded out. I finish packing the kids up, we got dressed and headed home. The part that I did not like was that I was unable to get a hold of my hubby. The phones were not working. We were right across the street from where he works but I could not see anyone leaving the building when we drove off so I headed home thinking it was no big deal. It took 45 minutes before I got a hold of him. He was fine. It just unnerved me to not be able to get a hold of him.

All in all I have to say I survived an earthquake. It was an experience. It was only a 5.8, I can only imagine what something bigger would feel like. I have to say I don't want to know. I am good with the one we had. I don't needed to know what any larger earthquake feels like, nor do I need to experience one again. Done check that off the list of things I have done in my lifetime.

20 years of friendship

2011-08-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

    Last night I went out to dinner with my friend Kristin. We went to celebrate our 20 year anniversary of our friendship. That is a long time. It was 20 years ago in August that I meet Kristin when we first started band camp in high school She was a year older than me but we both played the flute. Our friendship started there and has build and grown into a wonderful relationship that we have now.

     We have been through the think and thin with each other. We have been through boyfriends, and break ups, going to college and the tuff times with taking classes. We have been there for each other with set back in school and with family. We have been in weddings and watch as we each met the men that are now our husbands. We made it through her divorce and her second marriage. We have been there for each other with the birth on my children and now is the time that she is trying to start her family, yeah!

     Dinner was fun. It has been a while since we have gotten together just the two of us and had time to chat. It was fun to be out and just talk about our lives now an in the past. We talked about all the proms and dances we went to and with what boys we went with. We thought back to the funny stories of our first kisses and when she told me she had sex for the first time. We went from remembering the past to talking about our current lives and what is going on now. Her new job, what my plans are for the weekend. How my boys are. We even had time to talk about the future. Will I go back to work in the classroom, what she thinks she will do once she has a baby. How are things going on the baby front. It was one great dinner and conversations.

I don't know what I would do without a friend like Kristin. She has been through the thick and thin with me. Don't get me wrong, there are a few other friends of mine that are very important to me, but I just have not known them for as long as I have known Kristin. I hope that we continue to have such a good friendship and that in 20 years we can go to dinner and look back at our lives again.

If I were still teaching

2011-08-16T21:17:00.000-04:00

    Today would be my first day back to school after a summer off. The teachers were back and started their hard work of prepping their classrooms. This is the second year that I did not go back. I am finding it weird that I am not going back. I will have to say that I am happy that I am not going back. I don't know what next year will bring I maybe back or I may not time will only tell. But this year I am happy to be home with my boys. This is the best job ever.

    I have been asked several times lately if I am going to go back to the classroom and I always respond with I am not sure. I would like to say that I was a good teacher. I seem to have people tell me that I was. I ended up doing many different workshops where I taught my fellow teachers how to do different things in the classrooms. But I would also like to think that I am a good teacher for the simple fact that I was honest and took a leave to raise my children. I don't think that I can be a good teacher and a good mom. I don't think that I can raise a family the way that I feel a family should be raised and be a teacher at the same time. I believe in the fact that I know this and admit it makes me a good teacher.

   As the start of a new school year has begun in the school around me it has gotten me thinking about what I am going to do with my teaching. I don't think I want to go back. I am thinking that when the letter comes next year and I have to check either to return or resign I will resign. I just don't think I can be that mom who is also a great teacher. To be a teacher takes so much time and time that is not in the work day. Time from home and family life. I also want to be able to be there when my kids get home from school as well as be able to be present in their schools and classrooms. I want the to know that if they are in trouble I will be there. I just feel like I can not give the boys 100% and give teaching 100%. One will fail and I know myself, I will not be happy with that. So this year is my year to figure out what I am going to do. I have my masters and I worked hard for it. I would like to use it if I can. I am thinking about maybe teaching a college class.   I don't think it will be the same as teaching children but I may surprise myself. We will have to wait and see.

But for now I am going to focus on my job as a full time mom. I am going to give it my 100% We will see where it takes me.

I am doing it for these boys.

Water park

2011-08-11T16:54:00.000-04:00

Today hubby and I pack up the kids and headed to the water park. Now we have never been to this water park and the sad thing is it is only about 40 minutes from our house. I will have to say one reason we have not been before is it is pricey, at least I think, to get in; but thank you to groupoun I scored tickets at half price! Yes!

So we headed down to check the place out. We got there right before it opened stood in line and were able to score some good seats right by the pool. This was good because as the day went on the seats were gone. The boys had a blast. The park is perfect for a family with children O and Little B's age. There was a baby pool for Little B but we spent most of our time in the main pool.

There were two big water slides that O was not tall enough to go down and then about 5 smaller ones that all landed in the same pool, which was great for O. He was able to go on his own down the slides all he wanted and he always ended back up in the same pool and we could keep our eyes on him.

There is also a lazy river which I made O wear his life jacket but he still had a blast. All in all it was a great day. The weather was amazing, sunny and 85 degrees. We could not have picked a better day. We will be keeping our eyes out for more coupons for this place and hitting it again.

I can't believe it has been 16 months

2011-08-06T16:20:00.000-04:00

He is 16 months old today!

I just can't believe it. He is getting so big and right before my eyes.

Today we took a boat trip. We went out for the first time on our little boat. We have gone out on my parents boat but this was on our little boat. Little be was a little confused. I think he recognized it from being in our drive way but was not sure what to think when it was moving on the water. The trip was short and he screamed for half, he just got tired and it was time to come home. We did not go fast but we drove around looking at the big houses that we would love to own.

It was a great trip. I think Little B enjoyed it.

Happy 16 months sweet little boy.

Road trip to . . . Ohio

2011-08-05T15:46:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was our summer trip to Ohio. Both of my parents are from Cleveland and so other than my parents and brother the rest of the family is in Ohio. So going there has been part of my life and has become part of my boy's lives. It will be sad when it is not part of our lives anymore, and I am sad to say that might happen sooner than I would like to think.

I think visiting Cleveland is fun. It is fun to see my family, and it is fun to see my sons learning about a different state and seeing family they don't normally see. The fact that both my great grandfathers are alive means that when we go there is 4 generations in one location. I just think that is cool.

The boys did great on both the trip up and the trip home. 6 hours is a long time to sit in a car. We decided to do the trip during the day and they both did so well. I was not sure how Little B would do since he is still rear facing but his seat recline back enough that he was able to watch some of the movies.

We went up an extra day so that we could do some fun things in the Cleveland area. Of course it rained but we still hit the Science Center. I wanted to go to the zoo, but we will have to save that for next trip. The Science center was good and we even took my uncle. I think we all had a good time.

O seemed to really enjoy himself even though it was all a bit over his head. I don't think he really understood what all the displays were doing but he had fun playing with all the different things.

Now the big his was the kid room and the ball pit. The outside water area was closed since it was raining but I don't think my kids even missed it. They loved playing in the ball pit.

We did visit family while we were there. I would have to say one of my favorite times was when my grandfather was playing ball with Little B. It was the oldest and the youngest playing and it was cool.

While we were there we got to meet the newest addition to the family. My cousin had a baby, so here are the new cousins. I know they are not first cousins but they are cousins and that is cool.

We did have good weather while we were there. I was in the mid 80s which was much better than the 101 that we left. We got to take the boys swimming in the river. Now I say river but it is only ankle deep. They seemed to have a good time.

There was basket ball to learn how to play:

and lots of games and running in the yard.

I would have to say that it was a great trip!

A day on Grandma's Boat!!

2011-07-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

Let me start with some background to go with this post. As a child I grew up on a 27 foot sail boat. Now I should say that we spent summers sailing on the boat, we did have a house. But our family vacations were on the sail boat. My lovely hubby grew up working on his father's crabbing boat. His family work the waters for a living. So we both have a love for being on the water and want to instill that love in our children.

When we got married we owned a 24 foot power boat. It was great for days out running about on the water, pulling a tube or a skier. It was fun times. I will have to say that when O came into the picture it was just difficult. There was no place to put him to get him out of the sun and it was difficult with a life jacket. The boat was also needing more and more repairs so we were just dumping money into it, that is the way it goes with boats, and not getting any enjoyment out of it. So we sold it in hopes of getting a more family friendly boat that we could do some cruising on. Well that did not happen. I got prego with Little B and there went our hopes of a boat. We just were not going to be able to take on a boat payment as well as paying for the gas and slip rent. It had to go on hold.

So with all that being said we try and go out with my parents on their boat at least once a summer. We just go out for dinner and a swim but it is still fun. This year was great! O is getting bigger and can now understand more and enjoy it so much more. He is getting more comfortable with going fast; they no longer have a sailboat but a power boat. In the past once my father would get the boat moving O would just cry. But know he is either sitting with his Grand D, watching where we are going.

Or watching the bubbles that are behind the boat.

Once we got anchored and changed into our swim suits the fun really began. O discovered how much fun a boy can have jumping off the boat.

and there was no turning back. He would jump and then swim to the ladder to climb back up to do it again and again. It was so fun to see the joy in his face as he climb up for more.

Little B enjoyed the swimming also, although we did not have him do any jumping.

It was a great family day on the water. I think that even though we don't have a boat of our own we are still teaching our children to love the water. One day we will have a boat for our family to use and enjoy. It will come when the time is right but for now we will just enjoy the time on the water when we can.

The fourth of July

2011-07-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

This is a time where we get to spend a day with the family! The fourth is always a weekend for us, we spend one day with my parents and then the fourth with the in laws. I save the day with my parents for another post, it was fun!

The fourth was also fun. It is great to get together with family. This family has really grown over the years. Now my hubby has just one sister and she does not have any children, but he grew up living next store to his cousin which seemed like a brother to him. Well that cousin has three children, so our children get to play together like first cousin.

There were crabs to eat:

Water slides to go down:

water to pour on others:

and pop rocks to be popped: The boys loved doing this, which I was surprised about since O does not like loud noises.

There were water cannons to figure out

Balls to be played with:

And swings to swing on

Then it was time for so fireworks!

Never Fails O does not surprise me, even with his earmuffs on he still flipped out. But he did calm down and sat to watch the fireworks with Grandma and his two cousins.

Then it was home we went. Since we forgot the sparklers with took a minute to light them up before we went to bed

Yep it was a good time. It is always fun to watch the boys play with their cousins. I will have to say this was a good day to put into the books.

Vacation and Father's Day all wrapped up into one

2011-06-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

What a week! We had a great time. Lets rewind and take a look at it. It started on Saturday June 18th. We packed up the car and headed to the beach. O was so excited and so was his Daddy. We headed out a little later than planned just because I had so much to do to get ready. But we got there with not problems.

As soon as we got into our condo the boys ran right for the balcony to check out the beach. They loved watching the action from up high. This is where they spent a lot of their time when we were at the condo.

We settled in and all the boys sat down to relax and take in the sights! Hubby was in heaven. He loves the beach and having his boys hanging with him just made his day.

Sunday was father's day. It rained but we hit the beach anyway.

Hubby still got to take his boys to the beach and even got into the ocean. He seemed to enjoy himself as well as the boys. It was a good start to a vacation that included:

There were castles to be built:

Juice boxes to be drank:

Rides to ride:

and a first roller coaster to ride!

There were kites to fly:

and cloth diapered babies playing in the sand

We made new friends:

tried new things:

Played in the surf:

and had a few bumps along the way. On Monday we came back to our condo after a great time on the boardwalk to find our condo flooded. A pipe had burst some time while we were gone and flooded the condo. After many phone calls to the rental company and many hours standing in a flooded condo we were moved, at 11:15 pm, to a new condo in the same building. Not as nice as they first one but it worked.
On Saturday morning we were waken by cries from O, who had rolled over and bumped his head on the nightstand. Not only did he bump his head but he cut the corner of his eye which required a trip to the E.R. Since it was our day to come home anyway, we packed it up and made the trip to the E.R. then home. O is all patched up and we are home!

The last night we were there some bad storms moved through. But they left behind one great rainbow:

So this is the picture I like to end our vacation with. A rainbow across the beach. This is what will stick in my mind, no bumps no bruises just rainbows!

The last game

2011-06-11T20:40:00.001-04:00

Today was O's last T-ball game. As I sat and cheered him on I found myself surprised at the mixed emotions that I had. I was proud, excited and sad all at the same time.

He has really come to enjoy the game. I think that he really likes the team aspect of it and it has helped him grow and mature so much over these last 3 months. He has also really gotten good at the physical aspect of the game and he has gotten such a sense of pride in himself.

Here he is hitting the ball that the coach pitched to him. He did it twice this game! He was so excited that he did it you could see it on his face.

Look at that face, he is smiling from ear to ear! I love it and will miss it this summer. It was fun to watch him learn, grown and love a sport that keeps him active.

Now O did not just get this excitement from playing the game. It was his coach that taught him it. Coach Tim was great. He loved the game and loved working with the kids and you could tell. It is just like seeing that teacher that just loves what they do. Their students then love what they are doing too.

Coach Tim was excited to be at every practice and game, which is what made O excited to be there too. Don't get me wrong there were days, every game day to be up front with you, that O did not want to go; but once we got there Coach Tim came through and got O on that field and having a great time. He ran the bases with the kids and cheered them on when they did a good job. He would real them in when they were lost in the out field and pump them up keeping them in the game. He taught them what it was like to be on a team and to be a good team player. We will miss Coach Tim and all that he has done for O.

So today was the end of T - ball and I am not sure that O understands that. I am proud of how much he has learn, excited to see him having so much fun and sad to know that for the time being it is going away. Lets just hope that O gets another good coach next year. The bar has been set high by Coach Tim.

Go Mudcats!!!!

Here is to a great new season next year.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

My new stroller came!!!!

2011-06-08T20:42:00.000-04:00

Yes, it is true! It is finally here!

I am the first to admit it. I am a stroller snob. I have to many, and yes I use them all. I have always had a lot of strollers so it is not surprising that I just got another one.

Since I have been staying home one of the things I wanted to do is to loss the weight, keep it off and get fit. I got my phil and teds dash with the doubles's seat right before Little B was born to use as my day to day stroller. Works great still use it. I had my single BOB for my exercise and walks but I always did it with one child. Well now that O is staying home for the summer and will be going to afternoon prek I will be going to my Stroller Strides class and doing my morning walks/jogs with both kids. This is why I needed a jogging stroller that fit 2.

I love it! The boys seem to like it! It took a while to get it, but it is here. So I have added another stroller to my collection of strollers. Yes I am a stroller snob.

Walking

2011-05-28T20:53:00.000-04:00

Yes, he has taken his first steps. It was just the other day and both Rob and I were lucky enough to be there when he did it. It was cool.

Now he has not really tried since. Well until today, so I thought it was a fluke.

He would much rather crawl from place to place. He does like to stick with what he knows.

He has taken those first few steps just before he turns 14 months. Now O was walking at 9 months so Little B felt like he has taken forever. I have not rushed him, because I know that my life is about to change as he gets better at walking.

But what can a momma say when her baby takes his first steps. I am so excited for him. He is getting so big, and look how cute he is. Who can't love a face like this? He is my big boy learning to walk.

Yeah Little B!!! Mommy loves you.

A new chapter in our lives.

2011-05-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

When my baby boy was born 13 1/2 months ago, his first meal was my breast milk. Now 13 1/2 months latter he has moved on to rice milk and solid foods. Yes I made it 13 1/2 months! I can't believe it. That is a lot for me. I nursed O for a year, but buy his first birthday he was weaned so this extra 6 weeks was a big deal for me.

I am not one to push nursing, it works for our family and is what is best for my boys. But I don't really like it or enjoy it. I don't hate it, otherwise I would not have made it 13 1/2 months, but I don't love it either. So I am happy to say that I am getting my body back. It will finally be mine again and I will not have to support any other living soles with it, well unless baby number 3 comes. I can now eat what ever I want. I only have to worry about my own food allergies when feeding myself and not the food allergies of another living soul.

This has also started a new chapter in our lives. This means that my baby is getting bigger and is now old enough to not need mommy quit as much. He is becoming a toddler. I was completely surprised at how easily he weaned and when I cut that last feeding out he did not seem to mind. He is getting to be such a big boy. I am going to have to learn to say that I am a mother of a preschooler and a toddler. Where has the time gone?

Just look at my "baby" pushing his firetruck. He is no little baby anymore. What is this momma going to do? This is to the start of the new chapter in our lives!

A thankful mother

2011-05-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

My Mother's Day was great. I enjoyed myself, the day and my family. But Mother's Day always gets me thinking, now that I am a mother, of how lucky I am to be a mother. This year it really hit home. One of my college roommates has recently lost her unborn child and I was not sure how she was taking this day. It just made me stop to think that I am so grateful of my boys.

I am grateful that they have been given to me. That I get to raise them and care for them and meet their needs. I am the one that the turn to in need and look for encouragement from. It is me that they hug and kiss and call for in the night.

I am grateful for their health. For the most part they are healthy happy boys. There are some food allergies and a little unknown issues with their digestive track, but this is all minor. They are healthy, growing boys. No big problems!

I love that you both seem to love each other. Now there are the little fights and screaming fits, but for the most part you both love each other. I know by the look on Little B's face when O is the first one to open the door in the morning. I you love each other when O runs up and gives you a hug. I know you love each other when you both are playing together in your power wheels. I am grateful for the opportunity to teach you to love each other.

I am grateful that O has become a team player and is enjoying playing Tball. The fact that he is learning how to work with others and really seems to enjoy it make me happy. I also want to instill fitness into his life and make it a way of life. I am grateful that it seems to be working.

I am grateful to be blessed with two wonderful little boys. There are so many women in the world that long to be mothers and can not, and there are those who have lost their little ones and making this day a hard one. I am grateful to have my babies with me and I don't want to take any minute for granted. I love them!

What a wonderful day!

2011-04-28T21:00:00.000-04:00

   I have been really busy this week. Not sure why, I just have been. This week has really let me look back on Easter Sunday and remember what a wonderful day it was.

      It was a day that we did nothing but family, and I don't even mean extended family, just our little family. Now the grandparents live close, but they had different plans for the day and it left us with just ourselves and we did not really have much planned to do. It turned out to be one of the best days we have had in a while!!

     We stared the day off with Easter baskets!

It was Little B's first Easter so it was a fun one just to watch him. We had a great breakfeast, and then it was time to color Easter eggs. Now that is a challege! Both boys wanted to help, so we had a few spills.

But over all we had some good colored eggs! We then went to the Naval Acadamey for the Easter egg hunt. It was a gorgous day and the grounds were beautiful. I love tullips and they were in full blume. So the pictures were taken of my handsome sons.

O did not get any eggs in the hunt. He ran out into the field but then freaked out about all the kids and just wanted daddy. The good thing was, that I don't think he realized what he was missing. So off we went home.

We spent the rest of the day just playing in the back yard. Yes I did have cleaning to do and yes I did need to wash laundry, but the weather was perfect and the boys were having such a great time that everything that needed to be done could wait. We just did nothing but play, blow bobbles and hang out on the deck.

It was one of the best days we have had in a while. It really opened my eyes to the articles I have read about just living life and going with the flow. Not planning every minute and letting our family be a family. Doing what comes to mind at that moment. Now I still have to say I love our family trips and activities that we do, but this was one of our best days and all we did was stay home.

Let the weaning begin

2011-04-17T21:00:00.000-04:00

    So it has started. The doctor gave us the ok, since Little B has some food allergies we needed to know what to wean him to, we have started to wean.   I am ready, now I am not sure that Little B wants to, but I am done. So this last two weeks we have been working on it. I am taking it slow for me. Letting my body get use to making less milk. Little B is getting use to it also. He does not mind the rice milk and seems to take a sippy cup now much better.
    The hard part for me is how to have a soy and dairy free house. Now O and I can do soy but to cut out soy and dairy has been a challenge. I also have found that Little B is a picky eater. That may be becuase his belly hurts when he eats the wrong things. It is a challenge and right now he seems to eat only 5 or 6 things. Now I am still working on learning how to cook dairy and soy free. It seems like everything has soy in it, so now I have to really make things from scratch. I will have to say for his birthday I was able to make a dairy and soy free cake, with diary and soy free frosting.
   So my work is cut out for me. To wean my baby and figure out what I am going to feed him and how to mange the meals in my house.

My friends if you have any good hints for my or any recipes that our soy and dairy free please pass them my way.

Writer's workshop : What will they be?

2011-04-14T15:30:00.001-04:00

So this weeks prompts were great, as usual. I chose to write about prompt number to since I find is fitting for my mind frame lately.

2.) Based on their personalities, what do you think your children will be when they grow up?

I have really been thinking about this lately, for what ever reason I don't know. But I just want to know what I think the boys will do with their lives. I have mostly been thinking about it with O since little be is a little young I don't know what he might do. But O, he has a personality that shines builder or construction. I think he is going to do something with his hands. I think he is going to go into a field where he is building something. He loves his wood. He even got wood for Christmas and that was the best gift for him.

We have wood in every car, in the back yard, in our workroom and our living room. O is always building something or fixing something. He has his own workbench, which you can see in the picture, with tools and sanding blocks.
Every Friday my husband takes O to visit his granddad at the workshop that he is building a boat at. O loves it. He "helps" out, well as much as a 4 year old can help.
O just loves his wood.

He will also build castles in his sand box and houses using his blocks. He "fixes" the roof on his playhouse.
I will not be surprised when he grows up and decided to go into a field where he is building something. I am not sure what but building.

I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens in the future!

My friends what do you think your little ones will do when they grow up?

One year

2011-04-07T21:41:00.000-04:00

A year ago yesterday my life changed. I went from a working mom of one to a stay at home mom of two. Two boys to get right to the fact. Two wonderful, sweet boys. Yes that is right, Little B is one!

He is one. It feels weird to say it. One. I look at him now and I am amazed at how much he has grown and changed. As much as I still see him as that little baby I brought home a year ago.

I can see the little boy he is going to become. He is a lover of plans. He points them out as the fly over head. Balls are his passion. He loves to chase them and roll them. Like his brother, he loves the outdoors. It was just today when I said "want to go outside" that he came crawling over as fast as he could to get his coat on. Wow my baby is not a little baby any more.

Happy birthday sweet boy!

Opening Day!

2011-04-03T20:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was opening day for O's baseball league. There were no games, funny how they called it opening day, but a parade and lots of games. What was nice was that they had games for the big kids and then the same games for the little ones to. Now this was all new for O so of course we had a hard time getting him in the uniform.

Thank goodness Grandma showed up and was able to get the boy's socks on so we could get out the door.

Once we got there he warmed right up and jumped in on the activities.

Wow he looks like such a little baseball player, or I should say wow he looks so big!

The team has this really neat banner to carry in the parade and hang at their games.

The parents that can do this are much better than I am. I am very glad I did not volunteer to do the banner.

Once we were finished doing the activities it was time to line up for the parade. So I left O with the coach on a field filled with coaches and kids hoping that I would see him walking with the coach in the parade. I even told O to stay right with Coach Tim and don't leave his side. He listened because that is his little head sticking up from the banner right next to Coach Tim.
The weather did seem to hold off so we could get everything in. There were periods of rain but nothing very hard or very long. At one point I did get worried though. So Little B, who had been riding along on daddy's back, found a place under the bleachers to stay dry.

I think one of my most favorite times of the day was when we went to pick up O from the parade he came running up to his daddy's arms and there was Dad holding both is boys, one on his back and one on the front.

You have to love opening day!

Let the season begin

2011-04-01T21:38:00.000-04:00

Now that O is 4 he is old enough to play sports! Now I am not one to push things on him and I had a hard time really decided weather or not to put him on a sports team at such a young age, but I decided to go with it. I manly did it so that he could meet some children his own age that live right around us and that could be going to school with him. I wanted him to make some neighborhood friends to keep him company.

I was not sure how he was going to do, he does not like new things or anything he is not sure what it is. As you can see in the picture the first practice he kind of hung to the back of the pack. But that did not last long.

He was ready to play and seem to be enjoying himself. To my surprise he really seems to like it and is doing well. Learning to through and catch, which he is not so good at yet, and even hit the ball.

He is doing well and always seems to be with it and watching what is going on.

And look at this face, does it not just say "I am having fun!" What more can I say.

The coach is great too. He take his time and works with each kid. O really likes Coach Tim which is another big thing too.

He is becoming such a little boy and the fact that he is playing a sport makes him even bigger in my eyes. I am glad we signed him up. He seems to like it and is asking every day if he has Tball practice.

Opening Day is tomorrow! I know he does not know what to think. He has already expressed that he does not want to wear his uniform but I think once he gets it on and gets there with all the kids he will have just as much fun as he has had at the practice. Now if the rain will just hold off till the afternoon so we can get the parade in.

Wordless Wednesday 4 year old party!

2011-03-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

Last week O turned 4. We had his birthday party and this was the first one I let him invite friends from school. Needless to say he had a great time.

Makeing their Woody Cowboy vest

Nothing like money

His trash bag gift, this is a big deal in our family. To get a gift that is to big to be wrapped.

The cake I made.

What can happen in just one minute

2011-03-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

As a mom of two boys not much can surprise me. Now my boys are both young but I still expect them to get dirty and play rough, at times, and just be boys. But what they can do in just a matter of a minute still amazes me.

Really, do we need to have every toy we own out on the floor? See that nice toy box? The toys belong in there. It only took a minute for this mess to happen. I will have to say though, that at least they are playing nicely and no one is crying. That is a good thing.

Dear friends,

Are there things that your children do that amaze you?

One little sick one

2011-03-21T21:12:00.000-04:00

Both boys have had really runny noises these last couple of days. There were a couple of sleepless nights with Little B. Now I did give him some real yogurt to see how he does with milk so one of those nights could have been from not feeling so well from the milk, but it was hard to say.

     Oh the amount of tissues that we have gone through, boxes and boxes of them. There has been so much nose blowing around here that I am not sure there is anything left in either boy's heads.

      I thought that we were on the mend; until this morning. Little B woke me up to nurse, which he did and then right back down for a little more sleep. He then woke me up again around 6:30 a.m. I went in to get him and noticed his shirt was wet. So on came the lights and to my surprise his shirt was covered in spit up. I did not even get a chance to think about it when he spit the rest of his stomach contents all over me. I was soaked right down to my bra. (I decided to save you from pictures of this one.)

   So today became a stay at home day, well for the most part, and turned into a upset tummy, messy diaper day. We still took O to school, so he had something to do and people to play with, and then we did mange to take O to his swim lessons without any problems. Little be ended up in the bath tub twice and went through 4 outfits. I don't think I ever had to change him that many times even when he was a newborn. I have dealt with the messiest diapers I have seen in a while today and I am still hoping they will come clean in the wash that is running right now.

     I thought the we had gotten through the worst of it and we were done with this messy day; well I was wrong. I gott Little B into his thrid bath of the day, just for the nighttime routine, and then got him dressed and ready for bed. I let him nurse just like I always do and then it was to bed. Well, I did not even get him into the bed and he threw up all over the place. So, yet another clothing change and the bed needed to be changed and his poor woobie has to go into the wash. Hopefully he will be able to sleep without woobie tonight.

That would be my day with my poor poor sick Little B. Hopefully this virus will be done with this house tomorrow and we can have a sick free day.

I decided to use pictures of my baby healthy and not sick. They just look better and spare you of the mess that has been around my house.

Please feel better my Little B!!

Reclaiming Sundays!

2011-03-14T21:21:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite blogs, The Mommyhood Memos, has started this wonderful weekly post about reclaiming Sundays. It focuses on giving yourself and family a chance to reconnect, rest, relax and recharge for the week. I think it is a wonderful idea and have decided to really try and make sure that I take the time to just be with the family and let things happen. To play and spend the day with the kids doing what ever the world brings to us. So with that being said here is what we did on our Sunday, which by the way followed one crazy Saturday, but that is a whole nother post for a later day.

Our Sunday was spent at home. We did not do anything but stay home and enjoy the warm weather. It felt like spring! We were able to go outside without any coats on and the boys loved it. We were settling down from a busy Saturday, which was O's birthday party, so we needed a day to rest and relax. I also needed a day to get the house back into order and O needed a day to play with his new toys.
So on this nice day we took time to play with balls, which is Little B's favorite thing to do.

Have a picnic lunch. O has been waiting and waiting to do this. He loved it so much. Just being able to be outside and eat, he was in his glory day.

It was Little B's first time sitting at the little pinic table and even though he did not sit there long he seemed to enjoy it.

We also spent a lot of time chaseing Little B out of the dog food bowls! This is another of his favorite games.

What can I say, we had a great day and got to enjoy the wonderful weather. I can't wait for more days like this.

Four

2011-03-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

It was just four years ago when I became a mom. It was just four years ago when O came into this world and blessed those who know him. Just four short years that have gone so fast and taught me so so much. Four years to make me a better person and a happier soul. Four years, goodness where did they go?

That is right he is FOUR! I can not believe it. It seems like just yesterday he was a small little baby laying on the blanket in the park. With all the other baby friends right next to him. Not any more! He is now my big boy. A boy that can ride his bike, play in the back yard, run, swim, loves to cook and build with wood. A boy that enjoys reading and painting, along with working on the computer. A boy that challenges me everyday to do better and try harder. This is a boy that pushes me to the edge and yet I still can walk away and be happy and love him.

He is four and I can not believe it. He is four, where has the time gone? Four, Four, Four.

11 Months!

2011-03-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

Oh my where has the time goine? Has it really been 11 months since Little B came into this world? My has he grown, and what a character he has become.

At a 11 months he:

is army crawling
is standing and letting go so he stands on his own
starting to move around on his feet while holding on
babblinig
loves his bath
loves balls and blocks
will push his blocks under the stair gate and whatch them fall down the stairs.
loves to play with his brother's kitchen and grill
already fitting with his brother
has learned to throw a fit

My sweet baby is getting closer to one year old. Let the planning of the party begin.

Potty Really?

2011-03-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

Let me start off by saying that I was just thinking yesterday about the fact that I could not really think of a good story about my babies getting into mischief. I don't know if I have erased it from my memory or plan forgot or maybe I am just not surprised by what they do. I don't know, but I hear and read stories about children cutting their own hair, making a complete mess of their room using powder, finding presents or just something they should not have. I don't really have any of those stories. OK O has said some funny stuff but he seems to not get into mischief. I don't know why, maybe I am just on top of him to much. Well this all change yesterday.
I put O down for his nap like I always do; but this time I told him not to come out of his room until I come to get him. He really wanted to play his computer game and I told him he could if he stayed in his room for nap and I would let him know when it was time. Before I put him in his room I had him go to the bathroom just like I always do. No problems he stayed in his room and fell right to sleep. Now he normally sleeps anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Yes I know I am lucky with this one, since he will be 4 next week and still naps. 45 minutes into his nap I herd him fussing. I went back to his room and listened, I was worried he may have wet himself since he has been drinking a lot lately and we had this problem yesterday during nap. When I opened the door I found him over by his dresser with his pants down. He was complaining that he wet himself. I walked over and felt his pants they were dry. I told him he was fine and he did not wet himself and started to pull up his pants. He became very up set and proceeded to tell me that yes he did pee and he pointed to the open draw of his dresser.

Yes ladies and gentlemen he peed in the bottom draw of his dresser and boy did he have to go. Everything in the draw was soaked and there was pee puddles in the bottom of the draw. Thank heavens I had not put his clean close away yet so the draw did not have much in it but still I had to clean up pee soaked socks and underware.
When I asked him why he did this he really could not answer at first. I am not totally sure he was completely awake when he did it, but he finally said that he wanted to play his computer game and I said I to stay in his room. Really, when does he ever listen to me? or at least this well. See if I ever say "stay in your room untill I come get you" again.

Support

2011-02-26T21:38:00.000-05:00

   I have been thinking about the support I have received since my boys have been born and how important it is in raising them. Now I am not talking about the support from my family, that is really important too, but I am talking about the support that I sought out and created for myself through other mommies in the area.

     Now before O was born I took a lot of classes to prepare me for labor, breast feeding and what to expect when I brought my little bundle of joy home. I felt prepared yet scared, I was not sure how I was going to take my new role in life, how I was going to be a mommy and be happy. I was not sure how I was going to be ok with staying home for maternity leave and then all summer but yet I knew I would not want to go back to work in the fall. So O was born and I was thrown in to this world of unsureness. Breastfeeding was hard and this is were I started my search for help. Now I had my mom, who by the way was a labor and delivery nurse, to help with with nursing but I just felt like I needed more. Not sure what I was going to do I made the decision to attend the breastfeed support group at the local hospital. This was the best decision of my mommy career. Not only did I get the help I needed that day or week but I found myself going back week after week and month after month. I was surrounding myself with other mommies who were in the same place as me or that were a head of me but could teach me the trick they already learned. I would have to say that this was the reason that I was able to nurse O for the first year of his life. Fast forward 3 years and in the world comes Little B and one of the first places I headed to was this support group. I needed a little help with latch but I needed the support of other mommies going through the same things as I. I also find myself enjoying giving the support back.

     Another outcome from this support group was the friends that I made and the fact that we get together outside of this group. This leads me to the idea of the playgroup. Another important support group that got me to where I am now. With O I meet some mommies who were members of a local playgroup which I then joined myself. It was my way of getting out of the house and keeping busy. I was able to share stories ask for suggestions and opinions that became part of the way that I raise my boys. Now I still do talk to and hear from those women that I met with O but I will have to say we don't get together really and I have to blame that on the fact that I went back to work and my time became limited. Even with that said these women are a big part of who I am and the mom that I have become. Now knowing how important these relationships were to me when we made the decision that I was staying home with the birth of Little B I knew I would need to seek out a playgroup again. Well that is exactly what I did. Through my breastfeeding support group I have sought out some women and we have begun a playgroup.

     One of the last groups that I have used to seek support is a stroller fitness class called Stroller Strides. This in another group that I can not say anything but positive things about. Not only do I feel good about the weight that I am loosing, but the support that I find from the other mommies in the group is wonderful. Again another way that I have found mommy friends that I can turn to with questions or just to vent when things are not going my way. The babies see other babies and I can get a chance to get in some exercise.

     Support in my eyes is necessary to raising happy healthy kids. Seeking out support is what has made me the person who I am today and because of that I will return the favor to anyone who is looking for support. This is one reason that I still return to the breastfeeding support group with Little B who is not just days away from 11 months old. I feel that I need to pay back what was given to me, support! It is the reason I go to playgroups and Stroller Strides. It is what has gotten me through nursing my second child to almost a year now, and what has helped me to figure out cloth diapers. It is what has helped me find the right preschool for O and made me be a well balance mother. Support, I can't say enough about it!

These two boys can only benefit from it.

Wordless Wednesday Future Chief

2011-02-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

We may just have another chief in our family. One that likes to cook just like his father and big brother. If it continues this way I am going to have it made with good food for life in just a couple of years!

A Wagon Ride

2011-02-20T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today was not the warmest day but not freezing either so we headed out as a fam to take a walk to the basketball court. Now it has been a while since we have done this. It has just been cold out and for what ever reason I have not been motivated to get out in the cold. This is strange since I was walking with O every day no matter how cold it was. But I guess the thought of bundling up two children, myself and the dog to go for a walk is not appealing. Don't get me wrong, we go outside and play all the time. I have lots of pictures of Little B all bundled up outside on the swings, but we just have not gone for many cold walks.
This time we decided to take the wagon, which O loves.

It was Little B's first wagon ride!

And he seemed to enjoy it, although you would never know from the look on his face.

O had a great time playing ball with his daddy and one of the neighborhood kids.

He has become such a little boy not a toddler anymore. He can kick and through just like a big kid.

His aim seems to be pretty good, right at mom even though she is to busy with the camera.

After today I have decided that we will be taking more walks and getting outside more. I need to be exercising more and what better way to do it outside with my kids. So hopefully there will be more pictures of our outside adventures to come so keep watching.

Dear friends,
Did anyone do something fun this weekend with their families?

Preschool here we come

2011-02-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

O has been in daycare since he was about 6 months old. That first year I was lucky to only work part time so I did get to spend a lot of time with him. Now we like the daycare that he is in and when he was moved to the preK room we made the decision to keep him inrolled there even though I was taking the year off with the birth of Little B. Since we are going year by year and my postion in the school system is held for two years we have decided that I would stay home for another year. With this decision made, that means that when/if I go back to work O would be in kindergarden and not need his spot in the daycare. So the hunt began to look for a preschool in our area for O to go to. I was a little overwhelmed. I did find three right in our area infact they were less than 5 minutes from our house. Now being a teacher I had high hopes and knew what I was looking for in a school. I found the one that I really wanted O to attend, now it was just a matter of getting him in. I felt like we were trying to get him into college.
Well we found out today that he is accepted! Now I really wanted him in the morning class, but beggers can't be choosers, he is in the afternoon class. I am excited for him and I think this is going to be good. The fact that I was trying to get him into a four year old program as a new student was half the battle. I think this will get him ready for kindergarden.
Now I will have to say that when it is time to leave his current classroom I will be sad to move on. I love his teachers now and requested that he was in their class. With that being said where he is now they keep the 3 year olds and the 4 year olds together and I don't think that is great for O. It has worked for him as a 3 year old but spending another year in the classroom learning the samethings over again is not going to get him where he needs to be for school. So we will be moving on.

So my baby will be going to school for the first time! He will be learning to read and do math. I can't believe that he is big enough to go to school. Where does the time go?

Wordless Wednesday the first taste

2011-02-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

The first time he tasted a avocado.

The first try

Not sure about it

Trying again

Not liking it.

No more mom!

More ended up on his face than in his mouth.

10 months old

2011-02-07T21:29:00.000-05:00

He is ten months old!

Where has the time gone? Ten months already and you are getting so big. You are army crawling and sitting. You even have 6 teeth! You can stand on your own and you have begun to let go without falling. You are becoming your own person and letting us all know your feelings. You have had your first battles with you brother and have bit him for the first time. Playing with balls is one of the activities you like best. I think you want to walk but you just don't know how to move those feet. You can almost pull up, but once again those feet are causing you problems. You now weigh 23lb 15 oz, wow what a big boy you are. You are still my sweet baby who loves people.

Happy 10 months my sweet baby.

Oh a sledding we shall go!

2011-01-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

Last week we got our first real good snow. Now it was only like 5 inches but that is enough to go hit the hills with the sleds. This snow came with ice before hand making things messy and causing us to lose power. When I say lose power, I mean for 49 hours we had no power. So that meant most of the days sitting by the fire or bundled up in the beds. That also meant that taking the boys sledding was not going to be a family event. So hubby took O for the first time to a local sledding hill, and yes I was kind of sad that I had to miss it in order to stay with the fire. Becuase I missed his first real sledding experience we decided to redue when the power was on and we all could go.

It was a hike to get to the hill that they went on just the other day and I will have to say I was not sure this was going to be a good trip. It must have been my mommy instances because when we got there the hill did not look that great, infact it looked icey. But O wanted to go down and hubby let him. I pulled Little B down the side of the hill so I could get some photos of O coming down. Little did I know that he would be coming down in the round blue sled. Here is how it played out:

And it ended looking like this:

Poor guy. But I will have to say he is such a trooper, we found another hill that was not as big and was snow covered and he sledded till I had to drag him off the hill.

He had so much fun. Now I am not sure what Little B thought, he was just along for the ride.

All in all we had a great time.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

A trip to the aquarium gave me the chance to try out the new camera on other things besides my children. I thought I would share.

This is a jellyfish!

We had a great time and I love using my new carmera. I am still on the learning curve, but I already enjoy taking good pictures.

Oh the Joy

2011-01-16T20:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to the local rec center for some morning fun. I was looking for a way to let O run his energy off so that he would take a good nap. I did not want to spend a lot of money and I really did not want to go to a playground covered in snow. Our local county parks have a parking pass that can be bought for the year but I am not ready to purchase that yet, it is just not in the budget yet. So the rec center was where we went to give this Ballocity a try. We got there and the parking lot was packed so I was not sure how this was going to go. To many kids and not enough space was not going to be good. Then we got into the front desk and the lady tried to charge me for Little B, who was in his ergo and is 9 months old and just learned how to crawl. After some attitude both on her part and on mine we were headed down to the Ballocity room for some play time and we only had to pay for O.

Well he loved it! There were not many children in the room and once he figured it out he had a blast.

Oh the joy in his face when he pushed that button and the ball exploded out the top and fell the other floor. Oh the fun he had running from level to level and collect balls to put in the shoots so that they would dump once they were full.

It was such a great time and it was not that expensive, only $7. I think we will be hitting this place again.

Wordless Wednesday -- Snow Day

2011-01-12T21:19:00.000-05:00

O's "snowman"

Makeing his "snowman"

He had a great time!

Batten Down the Hatches!

2011-01-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

Batten down the hatches and put up the gates, he is on the move. It is official Little B is moving. It is the army craw but it is getting him from place to place.

It took him 9 months to learn how to do this and to decided that he wanted to move, which is just fine by me. O was moving at 6 months and with Little B I was just not ready for him to move until now. Well I had no choice to be ready because he is moving. So the baby gates are out and the big boy toys are moved to places where babies can't get them. My house is much more baby proof and I got it all done just before he started to move. Maybe he knew I was working on all this so he just waited for me to be ready. Does it work that way?

Way to go Little B!! Your mommy is proud of you.

Acid Reflux

2011-01-07T21:27:00.000-05:00

Acid Reflux, it is a fact of life in our house. Both boys have it and as the doctor said today they have an impressive case of it. O who is almost 4 is still on his reflux meds and my poor baby boy is on a max dose to keep him comfortable. So today's discussion with the doctor was where do we go from here. The answer is the beginning of test. Both boys will be getting blood work and different kinds of test. Xrays and they may even have to be scoped. I want them to be healthy and I want to treat anything that may be a problem but boy I don't want to put my babies through all of this.

You know the sad thing I discovered today was how I have accepted Acid Reflux as a part of our lives. In our conversation with the doctor I was asking about what to do about Little B and the fact that he seems to have it worse than O, which he agreed with me about, but he also said that O still had it quit bad. That made me stop and think. I have just accepted O's reflux and even felt like his case was not so bad. Now I have nothing to compare it to so I don't really know; and I know that most children outgrow this by age one and O will be 4. But I have kind of looked passed that. I have just accepted it as the way of life in our house. Well that is about to change!

So Acid Reflux is going to have it's ugly self moved out of my house. It may linger and let me know it is still part of our family for now but we are going to work on removing it from this happy home. My boys will have their test and hopefully we will find out the cause and how to treat this ugly thing making it move out forever!
As these next couple of days, weeks and months come along I will continue to pray for my boys and for their health. I am praying for the doctors to learn what they need to treat my boys and make they healthy and happy. My one request to anyone who is reading this is to please keep my boys in your prayers.

9 Months

2011-01-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

Nine months ago this sweet little boy came into the world. He is growing like a weed and getting bigger everyday. Nine months old but yet he is wearing 18 month and 24 month clothes, what can I say he is a big guy. He just had his fifth tooth pop through and is now crawling. The last two days he has mastered the army crawl and I can now say he is mobile. He loves to stand and can even stand unassisted for a few seconds. I know this means walking is not far behind.
I love to watch him learn new things everyday. My favorite thing is watching him interact with his older brother. Now I know he likes him, since there are times he reaches out to him, but I will have to say my favorite is when he screams and swats at him because he is mad. I just love to see the brotherly love!
I just can't believe that it has been 9 months. What am I going to do? Where has the time gone? Sweet baby I love you. Happy 9 months!

Have a great Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

Oh the torture of a big brother. One day Little B will get him back.

What kids say!

2011-01-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Now I have been working with children for many years. That is 9 years teaching and then throughout college and even before that. I am always amazed at what children say. They are so funny sometimes. But I will have to say of all of the things that the children I have worked with do having my own children really amazes me and makes me laugh. It was just yesterday that O not only made me laugh but just amazed me at how big he is getting and how he can pick up on things and remember things.
My mother has just retired from her job. She always jokes that she is old. Yesterday I was driving with both boys in the car to my Stroller Strides class, as we passed the hospital where my mom worked; O said to me "Is grandma working today?" I responded "No, Grandma does not work anymore, yesterday was her last day." As a typical almost 4 year old boy would he came back with the "why" question. Not really knowing how to respond I simply said "because she does not work anymore." Of course that was not a good enough answer, what was I thinking, he said "Why, she not working because she to old?" Laughing I simply agreed with him. He was right she retired because she was old, what can I say. It just amazes me that he put together that idea of my mom retiring with being old. No one told him that is why she retired and like I said she always jokes that she is old but she never told him that she was to old to work. The fact that he put that all together and then was able to ask me about it is just amazing. He is getting so big.

A New Year

2011-01-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

A lot of people make new years resolutions, I am not one of those. I find that I don't pay attention to them and then I forget. I think this year I want to just make a list of goals, things that I want to work on and do this year.
My goals are:

I want to start jogging on a regular basis and complete a 5k.
I would like to organize the home office and make it a room that we all can enjoy.
I want to work on keeping my cool and changing the discipline in the household to more positive.
I would like to cook new healthy meals.

So there they are. I am going to just list four and see if I can meet them or at least put an honest foot forward at attempting them. It is nice to have them written down and in a place that I can come back a look at them. I think being able to revisit them will help. I will have to say that I am already working on the organization part, new shelves have been built now I have to get the toys in the baskets and the baskets on the shelves. I am heading in the right direction this year!

Happy New Year everyone!

To my friends out there, do you have resolution for the new year? How do you stick to them if you do?

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T22:39:00.000-05:00

Good bye 2010, oh how sweet you were to me. A great year in my life and the life of my family.

I turned 33 and my first baby turned 3.

My sweet little baby boy was born.

I finished my Masters degree!

I became a stay at home mom, a new profession for me.

I started this wonderful blog to share our life with everyone.

We took a wonderful beach vacation.

We had some great trips to visit family

I have met some great new friends to add to my old ones.

I have enjoyed my family throughout the entire year and I am happy with the person I have become. This was a year of big changes for me and if I don't say so myself I think that I am a much better person now that I was a year ago at this time. I am interested to see what the new year brings for me.

Christmas

2010-12-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

Here I am sitting at the computer just two days after Christmas and thinking back to what a great day my babies had. It was also a great day for me. I love watching my family and how much fun they had. I love to see them play with their new toys and enjoy themselves. We had a wonderful Christmas.

I will have to say that my husband always takes the time to surprise me. This year I got a new camera! I got a Nikon D3100. I love it. I was so excited that I looked pass the thought of how this just blew our budget out of the water and was just excited. Not only did he have it but he then had it charged and ready to go. So I was taking pictures like crazy with it. I think I took the most pictures I have taken in my life time in one day. I am so excited. So enjoy some of our family pictures:

O got a gift from his grandparents that so so big it was under a sheet.

His sheet gift and his wood. This was one happy little boy.

We had Christmas at our house as well as both grandparents.

O was helping with the "Trash Bag"gift that is uncle and aunt got.

We had a great time, it was very busy. We did presents at our house as well as both the grandparents' houses. In the end I was glad that we made all the trips and got to see everyone. The day after was a day for rest and playing with all the new toys.
Now I am ready to take the tree down and find places for all the new toys so this house will be clean. This week between Christmas and New Years is always the hardest for me. I was to get order back in the house but I know we don't put the decorations away till new years. So my house will be a mess this week, not that it is always clean, and I will have to try very hard not to be grumpy about it. Over the weekend I can pack it up and find places for all the new toys making a fresh start to a new year.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. To your families from Ours.

The first snow

2010-12-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

Just the other day we had our first snow of the year. Now it was not much, only an inch, but boy was it fun. This was the first snow for me were I was excited and not because I may not have to go to work or we will get a two hour delay but I was excited with my boys and their reaction to the snow. Now this is not O's first snow by far but he loves it and was so excited. He was with his daddy at the Home Depot where he got to pick up his shovel.

He did not even get out of the car and he was putting it to use. It was all I could do to get him into the house and lunch into him before he wanted to go back out. It is so fun to have this much excitement in the house and to just be able to live in the moment and enjoy it.
Now for Little B it is his first snow and I was so excited to take him out to see it. I love to watch children when the see something for the first time. So I bundled him up and we headed out.

He did not know what to think

In the end the boys in my house had a great time in the snow.

This was such a fun day and I think one of the best snow days ever at least for me and my family. I love being a mom and I love the fact that I get to stay home with my boys and be part of things and moments like this one. I am very blessed. Thank God.

Wordless Wednesday Santa!

2010-12-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

So here they are pictures of our visit to see Santa. I don't know what I expected but I don't think I really expected this:

I thought this would be for next year not this year, but it is my favorite.

You have to love Santa photos.

I hate reflux!

2010-12-10T21:53:00.000-05:00

This last couple of nights have been very rough in our house. Poor Little B has been up crying most of the night. Now the days have not been great either, his acid reflux is giving us a fit. So today it was off to the doctors. Now we were just there last week, but we did not see our usual doctor, for what I thought could have been an ear infection but I was wrong. While I was there I even said to the doctor "if I didn't know he was on meds I would think his reflux is bothering him". Well I know it is, in fact it is like I am not giving him any meds at all even though I am. The change here is that we are now using generic instead of name brand, could that make a difference? Well we will see, the doctor agreed with me that is should not make a difference but it is worth a try to see. So we now have the name brand back in the house and the experiment is on. In the next couple of days hopefully we will have a happy baby again. I hate reflux! I hate that we have to deal with it daily and I hate the fact that the doctor even said that I am the queen of dealing with reflux.

He is getting so big! I hate seeing him not happen and feeling healthy. I hope changing the medication will work. If it does not we will up the dose and see how that goes. I want it to work. Both of my boys have reflux and are on high dose of meds. O is going to be 4 in March and still has not out grown it. Today the doctor was asking about O as well as Little B and how they are doing with the reflux. The doctor is going to start looking into see if he should be checking out something else or look for other sings of other digestion track problems since both boys have bad reflux and I have signs as well. He said that this is now a family problem and may have to be look into in a different way. I want my boys to be happy and healthy, it is kind of scary to think that there maybe something underlying going on here. We will just have to wait and see.

Here they are and they both don't look to happy to have their pictures taken. My poor little boys with their reflux. Don't worry we will continue to work to take care of it.

And here is one of my favorite pictures of them. A little happier! They are getting so big.

It has been a while

2010-12-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

     Well I am back. I have been taking a very long break from blogging. I just hit a spot in my life where things were not going right at least with me. The family is fine I just got into a slump and could not figure myself out. I am not sure that I am completely through it but I am on my way. I am ready to start writing again. I have decided though that I am going to start slowly and take my time. I think I was spending way to much time on this computer and lost myself. I was not getting things done that I wanted to get done and that needed to get done. So I am going to get back into because I like it and I want to keep writing and reading. I feel that I have gotten to know some people through their blogs and I want to catch up, if I can.

     With all that being said, my first post is going to share a great clip I found. The holiday season is upon us and I love holiday songs. Being in the band as a child and through college I always loved to preform and to attend good performances. I just find this performance cool. I wish I was there. I can not sing but I would have loved to be in this food court when they did this. Maybe one day it will happen at a mall by me when I am there! Who knows. Take a few minutes to check it out.



I wish eveyone a happy and safe holiday. I look foward to catching up with everyone and to getting back into this world of blogging.

Oh what a week

2010-11-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

     I am not sure what my deal has been this week, but it was not a good week. I just have been in a mood and not a good one. I have been very hard on myself and just not happy. If it was 6 months ago I would blame it on the baby blues but now really.
     I felt like I got nothing done around the house, I was always tired and just did not feel like doing anything including getting on my computer. Now I can blog and not blog when ever I want, but I told myself that I was going to do this kind of like a journal for myself and my children. I told myself that I was going to write to keep myself from losing my skills because one day I would be back in the classroom and that one day could be sooner than I think. Who knows. But last week I just could not bring myself to do it. I did not even sign on to read my normal blogs the ones that I enjoy and like to follow up on.
    Now to make myself feel better it was a very busy week. Rob was home for the week so things where just not routine. I have some play dates and more than normal this week. O was off routine since dad was home and that meant up late dad taking him to school. Just a lot of change, and for those of you who know my O he does not do well with change. I also ran out of O's acid reflux meds and had to deal with the insurance company to get them sent to us. With that, Rob has been bugging me to try O without them to see if we can take him off, so no time better than when we don't have any. If you would have asked me how he was doing yesterday I think I would have said ok. But I am thinking that this might be playing into this crazy week. O has been sleeping but not like he normally does. He has some nights when he wakes up just crying and is not sleeping the hours he normally does. So I feel like he is tired and that means he is like a crazy boy. We have had some issues at school this week and even today and I am wondering if he gets a better nights sleep will he do better. I think tonight we will see.
    Little B has been off also. He is not sleeping and it is killing me, I don't do well with no sleep. I am not sure what his problem is, I want to keep blaming teeth but I have not found anymore. We have had a couple of nights now were he is in bed with us and nursing all night long. I just don't sleep well like this, it is not my thing and really runs me down. During the day I can't put him down or walk away. Ok I am all for baby wearing and I do it all the time but he is being extreme. Sometimes I do like to go to the bathroom by myself. Little B want no one else but me.

But look at this sweet boy, who could stay mad at him? He is getting so big. He wants to crawl but just can't figure it out. He has learned to blow kisses, which I love.

The other day I got the rest of the baby toys out of the attic. Now I really have toys all over my house. Not only is Little B enjoying them but O will not leave them alone. He has them everywhere and at times will not let Little B play with them. Then there are time like these:

Both boys sharing one toy! I do love my family and I will put one not so good week behind me and move on. Today started me putting the routine back into my household and it feels good. I am not going to think about the fact that next week it will be a mess again with Daddy home and a long trip to Cleavland for thanks giving. I am just going to take it one day at a time and continue to look forward to spending time with family next week.

Fall Back

2010-11-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

Fall brings that time of year when we turn the clocks back and gain an hour of sleep. Or so I thought.

In preparation of an extra hour of sleep I tried to keep the boys up just a little bit longer. I don't remember having any real problems making the switch with O so I was not worried. Well my plan back fired. Little B has his own idea of time. He not only got up early, but earlier than he normally would before the clocks were turned back. So I was up and a great hour of 4:50 am. Really.

I brought him into our bed thinking he would nurse and go back to sleep. No, did not work. He wanted to play. Thank goodness he was happy to sit and flap his arms and spit for a while. I finally gave in a got up so that he would not wake O up. O on the other hand slept in. I don't think I will ever get these boys on the same schedule.

Have a great Sunday!

Yes it is true

2010-11-06T21:05:00.000-04:00

Yes it is true, today marks my baby's 7 month birthday.

    Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was holding this "small" little baby in my arms. It seems like just yesterday I was introducing my two boys to each other and laughing as O said "I think that needs to go back in your belly".
   But look at you now!
     You are:

Sitting up on your own
starting to eat solid foods
laughing
out grown your infant car seat
bathing in the bath tub instead of the baby bath
starting to stand
getting your brother in trouble
you have two teeth
you are well into 12 month clothes and starting 18 month cloths.

Oh where oh where did my little baby go. You are growing so fast.

Happy 7 month birthday little boy. Mommy loves you!

TGIF

2010-11-05T14:08:00.000-04:00

I have a head ache again. This is the fourth day of head ache. I know it is my sinuses but really. I will have to say that I did get up and I did go to my stroller strides class. I will not tell you that I had a great workout today since my head was killing me, but it got me going and I think that helped. I am not one to take meds for things and now that I am nursing I really try to stay away. So I am not really taking anything to help with this other than a pain killer. I think I am going to have to do some investigation into what I can take for my allergies that will he though because I am not sure I can take more of this.

With all that been said how about a hop.

Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the Babykicks web site and there new video on their newest diaper.

Happy Friday!!

The tables have turned

2010-11-04T15:45:00.000-04:00

As a teacher I used to write the note home to the parents letting them know what their son or daughter has been up to. I will have to say I always tried to write as many positive notes as I did negative ones. But the negative ones were the ones I hated. They are such a pain in the but. I don't want to write them, the kid does not want to take them home and most parents don't want to read them. No one wants to deal with them. I was always annoyed when I did not get much of a response from the parents when I would speak about a problem a student was having or when they would just blow the note off.
Well the tables have turned:

Here it is O's note home about his bad day. It is not the first one we have had but it is the one that made me think about my reaction. I just walked out and re read it to make sure I knew what it said. I was not surprised by it and what O had done but embarrassed. I know that what he is doing is right on developmentally but I just don't feel like dealing with it. He is a teacher's child and should know better, right? I don't think it works that way. So we talked about it and shared it with daddy. Hopefully it will not happen again.

Oh the tables have turned and I am not receiving the bad notes and not writing them. I never really thought about this day.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T14:25:00.000-04:00

Brothers:

They both are getting so big! What is a mom to do?

********************************************************************************

Don't forget to check out the new video over at Babykicks and help a mom earn a sponer for a give away!

>

Babykicks!! Check it out!

2010-11-02T10:37:00.000-04:00

With Little B I have chose to use cloth diapers. I was looking for ways to cut cost since I would be staying home with the boys this year. I have learned lots about cloth diapers and really do like them. In my research I have come across a cloth diaper brand that I am really excited about since it is local to me. It is based out of a town just over the bay bridge from where I live.

They have some really neat diapers that everyone should check out. They are just releasing a new video on their diapers.

Check it out!

Once you have watched the video check out their site here and you can always watch the video again here.

Check it out. The site that has the most views will win a free diaper give away. Which means that you, yes you, will have a chance to win a new diaper. So come on and take a minute or two to check it out and help us all win!

Tuesday Hops

2010-11-02T08:56:00.003-04:00

I am now on day three of a sinus head ache and I have had enough. I wish it would go away it is making my life hard. So today I will do some hops in hopes that my day will improve.

Oh what a Halloween

2010-11-01T20:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one busy day. We started the day off with pumpkin carving. O was digging it.

Little B wanted in on the action himself. Although he was a little to small to get in and dig but he tried.

O wanted to do it by himself. Boy did he ever work hard.

He wanted a sad pumpkin and a mad pumpkin, they are taking about feelings in school.

Here is the results of his hard work.

Once the pumpkins were done it was time for the Halloween parade.

The costumes were put on and the community kids paraded the streets.

O was "The Big Brown Truck Man" as he called it. In other words he was the UPS man.

Little B was a dragon.

That night was so exciting. O could not wait to get back in his costume and head on out.

The fast shot before we left.

Trey goes with us every year. He is always supper dog but it makes it fun. What a dog to put up with this!

October Really?

2010-10-28T21:09:00.001-04:00

I know it is October but boy it does not feel like it. Yesterday I was about to put on shorts. Now it was like 75 degrees, which is not bad at all, but it was so humid. Everything felt wet. I almost put the A.C on just to drop the humidity. Not a normal end of October day. Well today I found this in the flower box on my back deck.

What a true reminder of Spring not fall. I love Gerber daisies but I was surprise to find it blooming in the end of October.

The battle has happened/ Ask Momma Wednesday

2010-10-26T21:30:00.001-04:00

So I have been using cloth diapers now for about 6 months. I have read a lot about them and how to care for them. I love using them and have been so happy that my baby has not really had a rash since the switch. I also love the money I am saving. Now in all of my reading I have read about diapers getting stinky and all the different reasons why. Well I have the stinks. The battle has begun.
I was doing well, I thought, although I do find myself stripping quit often. I am not sure if it is my detergent or the fact that I have a HE washer. I did a lot of detergent research and I was looking for something that did not cost much and that I could get locally; I really would like to make a detergent but I am nervous about going there. So I found one that was on the many list as ok for cloth diapers. It has been doing a ok job I guess. I do have stinky diapers so it can't be doing great.
With that being said I have the samples Rockin Green in the mail on the way to my house. I have read great things about this stuff and also not so good stories so we will see how it works. I plan on doing a soak and really nice long soak. I am not sure how I am going to do it since some people say do it in the bath tube while others say not to. I feel like I don't have my washer figured out and there is not enough water in it for a soak. I just want my stinky diapers to not be stinky. Luckily Little B has not had any rashes from this or worse yet ammonia burns. I really want to avoid this from happening.
I am looking into other detergents also. Lulu's in the fluff is another one I have read about and may try before I make a commitement to using a new detergent. So the battle has begun. The stinky diaper battle and I hope that I win. We will see.

So I have two questions for my mommy readers who also use cloth diapers:
1. What detergent do you use for your diapers or do you make a detergent that works?
2. Do you have any suggestions for me to help me win the battle of stinky diapers?

                                                                          Thanks for your help,
                                                                                                   Jill

Just thoughts

2010-10-25T13:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at lunch I was talking to the hubby and we were discussing how fun it is to do things as a family. It really got me thinking about my family and how much I enjoy them. In the discussion I was saying how the addition of Little B has been so great and that I really enjoy things even more with both boys. I guess it is like seeing things through two different sets of eyes now. I so enjoy being a mom! It sometimes surprises me how much I like it.
My boys are changing so fast. I always try to be in the moment and focus on what is going on at that time but boy have they grown in just the last 6 months.

Look Little B can stand up. Well I did hold him up so he could play with his brother but once he was up there is no one holding him there. He is getting such a personality and I discovered just today that he loves pumpkin.

O is getting to be such a big boy. Every day he is doing something new and so big boy like. He cracks me up with the things he says and when he talks to his imaginary friends. The boy is learning so much and learning to use his imagination which I love. I love the fact that he does like to watch the T.V. but after about 30 minutes he will turn it off and say I have had enough. That is his mommy in him. He may look like his daddy but there is mommy in him. It was just the other day when he just wanted to stay in his P.J's and play most of the day. I love this boy! I love my family, I really do. People will ask me how I like being "off" from work or staying home, I think they are looking to see if I find it boring or am looking to go back to teaching, and I simply say I love it. I love my work here at home. I love being with my boys and teaching them. I feel like I am so busy now that I do not miss teaching at all. There may be a time that I will want to go back to the classroom and teach or even a time that I will need to, but for now my classroom is my home and my students are my boys. I love it.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T13:54:00.000-04:00

Jumping hay bails! Oh it is fall and that means lots of new, fun things to do.

A great fall day!

2010-10-18T13:41:00.000-04:00

This weekend was one big fall family weekend for us. We did lots of fall activities. One of them was a great hay ride. Now O has really learned to like hay rides so he was up for it even after we took both boys to get their flue shots. It was on this hay ride that I took a moment to really think and look at the farm that we were riding through. It was this time that I thought about how cool fall really is and how lucky I am to be able to see views like these.

The day was perfect, there was not a cloud in the sky, it was not to cold but not to warm and the colors just seemed to pop out at you. It has been a while since I have had a chance to see landscapes that look like these. We had a great time.

Mommy and Me Photo Challenge

2010-10-14T21:05:00.001-04:00

Thats right here we are and Little B has his hands in his mouth, but I love the picture of just the two of us. It is simple and we were having such a fun time.

Wordless Wednesday First face painting

2010-10-12T21:06:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday link ups: Acting Balanced, The Adventures of Goober Gape & Monkey Man, Get Out and Play, My Life in Jenga

Oh what a busy fall weekend

2010-10-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

It really hit me over the weekend that fall is here. We had beautiful weather and a jam packed weekend. Friday we headed out to get our pumpkins.

The farm was not what I expected it to be so I was a little disappointed. But we had a good time, got some great pictures and two good pumpkins for carving. O and Little B seemed to enjoy them selves.

O thought this tracker was cool. I think if I would have let him he would have removed the scarecrow and tried to drive it himself.

I love this one of the boys and the pumpkins

Then on Saturday we headed to the local park for a fall fest. We had such a good time. We took Little B on his first tractor ride, I would say hay ride but there was no hay.

We had a picnic lunch next to the playground and Little B played with O's sippy cup.

O got his face pained for the first time, I could not believe he let someone paint his face. He never lets anyone new near him so this was a big step. He really has become a big boy and surprising me a lot lately.

We had such a great time doing all the different fall activities; making it really feel like fall. It is so much fun to see the boys enjoy the different activities and do new things. This is such a fun time of year.

I am also doing some blog hopping today. Happy Columbus day!

Before/After blog hop

2010-10-07T11:27:00.001-04:00

I thought I would give this a try. I have been playing around with my photos lately.

SOOC:

Edit:

I just used my sony point and shot camra, and did the edits in Microsoft Digital Image suit. Not the best shot but it is the shot I wanted to carry on a family tradition. It works.

Not so Wordless Wednesday/ He is 6 months old

2010-10-06T15:48:00.000-04:00

Yes it is true my baby is 6 months old today! Little B is 20 lbs 14 oz and 29 inches long. One big boy. He just had his first tooth come through and the next one is on its way. He is sitting, not well but sitting. The big boy car seat is out and clean and ready to go in since he has out grown the infant "bucket". Oh where has 6 months gone?
Happy 6 months little man!!!!!

A day with the fire trucks

2010-10-05T11:32:00.000-04:00

On Saturday the city of Annapolis put on a fire expo. Now O loves fire trucks so we pack up and headed down town for all the fun and to see the fire trucks. Now just like any other thing we do it always takes O a while to warm up. Even though he loves fire trucks he will not walk up to one or even get into one right away, he needs time to warm up to it. O is this way with anything new or any kind of change. So this is how we started our day.

O wanted to be in the stroller, which I am glad I brought, and refused to talk or look at anything. I forgot to bring Little B's pack so he to was in the stroller and I was hoping for him to be able to hold it together without the pack. (I do a lot of baby wearing instead of strolling) After a few laps around the fire trucks and looking at all the different tables O did start to warm up.

He got into a fire truck and even let the fireman help him in and out. As you can see though he is still not to sure about it. But after a few more minutes and a few more laps around O was inside and driving.

He was all smiles and we could not get him out. Another favorite spot of his was the hose station. O loves to play with the hose. He will play with a hose for hours if we let him. In fact playing with the hose was one of the rewards we used during potty training. Everyone in the neighborhood knew when O used the potty because rain or shine he was out front playing with the hose. So this station was a highlight for him.

He got to use a real fire hose and put out a "fire". I think we must have gone to this station about 20 times. This one was better than the moon bounce.

O found the bomb robot to be interesting also. I am not sure that he really understood what it was but it was cool to look at.

So all in all we had a good day. As always I am not sure at the start of a day like this how it will go. I am always almost positive that O will warm up and have a good time but it always sits in the back of my mind that he won't. Today he did and we had to drag him away. Here is how we ended the day.

I wish I had video taped him, he was not stop talking about the fire trucks. So I day started with him in a ball not looking at the fire trucks, to him standing on the front of one non-stop talking about them and not wanting to go home. A good day!

Good by baby bed

2010-10-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

Today my mom came to pick up the bassinet. It was kind of bitter sweet. I have been dieing to get it out of my room but it also meant that my baby is no longer tinny. I know he is almost 6 months and has not slept in it for months but it was sad to see it go. It is going to my mom's house because it has been in the family for almost 70 years. My mom's uncle's slept in it along with all of her cousins. My mom and both her brothers used it as well as my brother and I. So there was no thinking about it when O came, both he and Little B have slept in it.

Now it will go back into storage and wait for the next little baby in the family, I am not sure if that baby will be mine or not.

Not only did the bassinet leave today but the convertible car seats are out and cleaned. They are ready to be installed. I know that Little B is not even 6 months old but what can I say I have big kids and he is just about reach the max weight and height for the infant car seat. I did not get the in the cars today but that will get done this week. My little baby is growing up way way to fast.

Going Crabbing

2010-10-02T16:54:00.000-04:00

This little boy just has his ways of cracking me up. The other day he was playing with his trucks. I look over and this is what I see.

When I asked him what he was doing, he said "I'm cooking crabs". Now the pots are filled with his little people and I guess the truck is the stove. Don't ask me what he is doing with his foot.

He just cracks me up when he does stuff like this. The thing he comes up with just amaze me. The funny thing is, he reminds me of the crabbers I have come across in the little working towns around the bay. Sitting in their rocking chairs cooking crabs after a hard days work. It must be in his blood since he has never seen anyone sit like this and cook crabs.

To my mommy friends out there, what do your children do that just cracks you up?

Fall Favorites

2010-09-30T08:50:00.000-04:00

Mama Kate has some great prompts this week. I chose to write about number 5.

The Prompts:
1.) Describe the worst diet you ever put yourself on.
2.) But teachers know everything!! Write about a time a teacher disappointed you.
3.) …And then you panicked.
4.) Signs that your little one is just not that into you anymore.
5.) 10 reasons why you’re glad it’s Fall.

**********************************************************************************

I am glad it is fall because:

1. It is cool again. Open the house up and let the breeze blow through.
2. Fall colors. I love the colors all the tree turn.

3. Running through the local corn mazes.

4. pumpkins

5. Thanks giving food.
6. Hay rides

7. The first fire in the fireplace.
8. Costumes

9. The fall menu
10. The new season of T.V. shows.

Fall Fest

2010-09-28T13:43:00.000-04:00

Wow has it been busy. I have had so much to do, I have not found the time to write. I will have to say I miss it. So today I decided I would set time aside to write. Now all the other chores are still calling me since yesterday was not a good day and nothing got done, but I am writing anyway.
Over the weekend we went to Fall Fest over in Rock Hall Maryland. We met my parents on their boat and stayed the weekend with them. We had such a good time.
To start off, I took my diapers! I have never traveled with them so this was a first.

Here they are all nice and clean ready to go.

We started the day off with meeting a clown:

And then stopping to listen to a local band.

Little B was along for the ride and seemed to like just looking around.

O enjoyed the moom bounce of course

But the majic show was not as much of a hit for O. He seemed nervouse about it, hence the rolled up shirt.

There was a goat that you could milk, but O was not about to go that close.

But boy did he talk about fancy! He did finally go near her with some support from daddy.

We watched the steel drum band, which was great.

And O was amazed.

Back at the marina O got the nerve up to pet the cats.

And we did a little shopping.

O got a kick at checking out the travel lift.

While Little B had his dinner:

This is the marina that I traveled to many times as a child. In fact the first time I visited it I was the same age as O is now. There is a statue that we have many family pictures next to as I was growing up. So of course I wanted my family pictures next to the statue. Here they are:

He is not a fan

I really had to try for this one

This is one of my favorites.

Ok thanks for stopping by and reading about my great family weekend. We had a blast and I enjoyed sharing it with you. The only thing that would have made it better was if we had our own boat. But I know that will come in time, Little B is a way better addition to our family than some boat.

Now back to chores. Have a wonderful day.

So it happened

2010-09-23T21:30:00.000-04:00

Two different things happened today. I will start with the one that happened first. The stinks! I cloth diaper Little B, and I really like it. I have had very little problems. There have been a few times where I have had rash on the first time he wet, and when I got the new washing machine there was a learning curve, but I thought I had that all figured out. Well today I got my diapers out of the dryer and thought they smelled a little bit but moved on and packed up for our trip to breastfeeding support group. Well when I arrived I looked at Little B to find him all wet. His diaper had never leaked like this before. So annoyed I changed him and made sure to keep on top of it while we were out since I did not have any other diapers with me. When I came home the diapers went back into the wash and the stripping began. When they went into the dryer they smelled much better so hopefully the problem is fixed.
The second thing that happened was good and made me feel better about the stinks. I opened my email to find a email informing me that I had won a give away. This is the first time I have one anything! Now I have to say that I enter giveaways here and there, I was keeping track of them for a while then I stopped; it became to much work. So now I just enter the ones that I come across that is something I could use or want. My first one is from a giveaway over at Stash Mama. It is for a car seat id kit. I am excited for it to come. Maybe this is just the start of my luck and soon I will win again. I am always singing up for a cloth diaper giveaway.

What happened?

2010-09-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

I can only start this off with I AM TIRED. I am so tired. I so quickly forgot that I do not do well with no or little sleep.
Little B has stopped sleeping through the night. He was sleeping a good 8 to 10 hours up to about three nights ago. I don't know what happened, he is now up every two hours. It is like new born all over again. I will have to say that this weekend I did make sure that I got him to nap during the day. I have been feeling guilty that he has no nap schedule. Every time he is ready for a nap it is time to go get O or do something for O and Little B has to nap in the car or no nap at all. So this weekend I made sure he napped. Well maybe that was it. I don't know. I did have a different baby in the evenings. He was not crying and wanting mommy. But boy am I no good with no sleep. I found myself just standing in the middle of my stroller class this morning doing nothing. I have had the hardest time keeping my cool with O this evening. Today was a busy day and Little B did not get good naps so we will see how he sleeps tonight.

I hope you sleep my sweet baby. Just sleep for your mommy and tomorrow we will have a much better day. Not that today was bad, I am just tired. On that note I am going to bed!

Good night.

Sunday Show and Tell

2010-09-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

It is week 5 of Show and Tell. Grab the button and join the fun.

Easy Rules:
Post the Sunday Show and Tell button anywhere on your page, link up and follow as many people as you want, don't forget to leave a comment to let them know you were there!
Please follow the top 4 linky spots, our hostesses Sarah from Mama to a Sweet Thing, Meaghan from BellOrel Baby and a Mom, Me, Jill from A Masters and a Mom, and our lucky Hostess of the Week, Purely For Fun. (In order to become the Hostess of the Week you must display the Sunday Show and Tell button somewhere on your blog (not in a post).

Include anything you want to SHOW and TELL us about. This is optional but I'm sure you have something you want to share!!

**********************************************************************************

This is what makes me feel good about what I do and the changes in my life so that I can be there for times like this. A good belly laugh from a little baby boy who can barely sit up. I love it!

Dump Trucks and fun

2010-09-17T22:38:00.000-04:00

We had a busy day today! We started the day off with a workout for me at Stroller Strides and boy was it a good one! Then we headed over to my mom's house. I had talked to her earlier in the morning and knew that she was waiting for a delivery of gravel for their driveway; I thought that O would love to see the action when it got delivered. I was not sure that we were going to make it in time to see the truck but we did.

And here is O's face as he watched

He would not go near the truck I even carried him up to the driveway but he wanted nothing to do with it. So I just let him sit and watch.

Then after we at lunch we helped Grandma spread the gravel out.

We dug

and dug

O loved pushing the wheel barrel

He did let Grandma help him though

After all that work I had one tired kid on my hands. There was one long nap when we got home.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T06:25:00.004-04:00

The baby is almost sitting on his own. Yes it is true, he can sit like a tripod for about 30 seconds, long enough to take a picture before falling over.

Growing up can be hard

2010-09-14T06:26:00.001-04:00

So my little baby is growing up and learning how to sit up on his own. He can sort of sit with one hand holding him like a tripod, but not for long. Yesterday I was playing with him on the floor and was assisting him with sitting. Well I was not doing a good job because he fell over. Now I caught him before he fell all the way over and his head hit the floor but not before his head hit one of his toys. Now he has his first shiner. I know it won't be his last but still my poor baby with a shiner. To make it worse it was because I did not keep my hand on him while he sat. I know he has to learn but poor baby.

No worries though, today it is almost all gone.

Brothers!

2010-09-13T15:22:00.000-04:00

I have posted about my amazement of my two boys in the past, but they continue to amaze me in their love for each other. I will have to say that it makes me feel good that they do love each other and that O is happy with his little brother. There are many times that I wonder how O feels about his brother since he hits him and does anything he can to get our attention away from Little B. Now I really try to give O lots of time he gets to do earns with us alone.
Over the weekend we went to my in laws and my husband cousin live right next store to my in laws. They have a little boy that is 9 months younger than O and O loves to play with A. On this visit they were not home at the time but we decided to play with some of their toys. I put Little B in the swing and was swinging him for the first time when O came up to help.

I love how Little B is laughing at his big brother. This makes my heart melt. I can't wait for more moments like this.

Monday Blog Hops

2010-09-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

So I think I am going to do some blog hops today!

Sunday Show and Tell

2010-09-12T07:49:00.000-04:00

It is week 4 of Show and Tell. Grab the button and join the fun.

Easy Rules:
Post the Sunday Show and Tell button anywhere on your page, link up and follow as many people as you want, don't forget to leave a comment to let them know you were there!
Please follow the top 4 linky spots, our hostesses Sarah from Mama to a Sweet Thing, Meaghan from BellOrel Baby and a Mom, Me, Jill from A Masters and a Mom, and our lucky Hostess of the Week, Kostiuk Crew. (In order to become the Hostess of the Week you must display the Sunday Show and Tell button somewhere on your blog (not in a post).

Include anything you want to SHOW and TELL us about. This is optional but I'm sure you have something you want to share!!

O is really becoming a little artist. He loves to do arts and crafts. I would like to say he is following in his mommy's footsteps but in this case I would have to say he is following in his Aunt Ada's footsteps. We got this easel from a neighbor and it is one of his favorite things to do. I set it up outside so that I can just hose the mess away when he is done.

State Fair

2010-09-10T14:40:00.000-04:00

I guess this is kind of a late post for me, it has just been one busy week. The boys will not work with me at all and at least take one nap at the same time. There has been nothing getting done in this house. Anyway, last weekend we went to the state fair. We have been going every year since we had O and on the way home Rob and I commented about how each year has been more fun than the last. So this year topped it off with fun. O had a great time.

He went on his first ride! We have never been able to get him to go on a ride before and exceptionally by himself. I know he looks so serous, he did come off smiling though. I was waiting for him to melt down when the ride started but he did not. I was a proud momma. He even gave the ticket man his tickets.

As always O loved the tractors both big and small. We had a hard time getting him off both of these.

I think the whole family enjoyed seeing all the animals, although they are not to sure about this horse.

O had his first funnel cake. I am not one to give my kids junk but I figured he had to have a funnel cake someday. He loved it!

For those of you who know us you know that we can't go anywhere without seeing a firetruck up close. So here they are up close with the firetruck.

And here is sweet Little B in his carseat ready to go home. I think he had a great time too. He looked at everything and then took a nap!

Motherhood: a reflection

2010-09-08T16:47:00.000-04:00

I found this today. Some of the moms in my moms group have been talking about it. It is going to be my inspiration this week.

I think if I could go back and tell myself one thing it would be to stick with gut and don't back down. My gut has always been right.

Ok mom's out there what would you tell yourself?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T13:33:00.000-04:00

O's first ride!

We went to the state fair over the weekend and O went on his first ride. We have not been able to get him on a ride before. He does not look like he enjoyed it but he came of very proud and smiley. He went on other rides that day also.

Cloth Diaper Carnival VIII: Cloth Diaper Awareness

2010-09-07T13:02:00.000-04:00

This post is part of Cloth Diapering Bloggers’ and Dirty Diaper Laundry’s Cloth Diaper Carnival VIII: Cloth Diaper Awareness. Please visit the other bloggers participating by following the links at the end of this post.

I have been using cloth diapers for about four and half months now and I have to say that I like it. It is working for us. I will have to say that it also has been work for us. I have done a lot of reading about cloth diapering, deciding what kind of diaper to use, how to wash them and what kind of detergent to use. Every time I think I have it down pat there is something that throws the hole operation out of whack. With that being said the Internet has been my friend for finding out information about cloth diapers. I have wished that there was someone or organization that was local that could help me and answer my questions and let me see a large variety of cloth diapers. I like to touch before I buy so having lots to choose from would make me feel more comfortable in my purchase. I have not found it. With that being said I have played around with the idea of opening a business that sold cloth diapers and that would be a resource for moms. Maybe have some classes, but simply to have a large variety of cloth diapers and be able to set up appointments when moms can see, touch try diapers. It is in the works.

For right now I simply am learning about diapers myself and when I can I share. I show and tell when ever someone ask or wants to see. My little one is wearing just a diaper most of the time letting everyone see what he has on. This makes it very easy for diaper changes and he is cool on these very hot days. So for anyone who thinks they might want to cloth diaper I say go for it and give it a try you will be surprised how easy it is and how much you like it.

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Photo Challenge: Excitement

2010-09-07T12:25:00.000-04:00

This weeks challenge is excitement. I had to stop and think about this one because with so much going on and so many firsts there is a lot of excitement in our house. But I have to say that I chose O has my subject matter for this challenge.

This is O's first fish. He came home talking about it, he was so excited. Now this is a big deal in a family that lives on the water. The boy could not stop talking about this fish.

Sunday Show and Tell

2010-09-04T19:04:00.001-04:00

It is week 3 of Show and Tell. Grab the button and join the fun.

Easy Rules:

Post the Sunday Show and Tell button anywhere on your page, link up and follow as many people as you want, don't forget to leave a comment to let them know you were there!
Please follow the top 4 linky spots, our hostesses Sarah from Mama to a Sweet Thing, Meaghan from BellOrel Baby and a Mom, and Me, Jill from A Masters and a Mom. And, our lucky Hostess of the Week, Breanna from College Girl with a Passion. (In order to become the Hostess of the Week you must display the Sunday Show and Tell button somewhere on your blog (not in a post).

Include anything you want to SHOW and TELL us about. This is optional but I'm sure you have something you want to share!!

Here is our rediscovered favorite activity. I say rediscovered since it was O's favorite also. It is our jumparoo and Little B loves it. He will play in it for at least 20 minutes sometimes more. He has gotten so much better with his head and upper body control that now he really can jump.

No One told me

2010-09-03T21:06:00.000-04:00

This week has been busy and challenging. It has really got me thinking about my family and this learning curve I am going through learning to be a mom of two. I have decided that there are a few things that no one told me.

No one told me:

How tired I would be. I was prepared for new born baby tired. I was not prepared to be exhausted five months later. I was really expecting that once Little B started sleeping through the night I was golden. I was not ready to have O waking up, and of course they never wake up at the same time.
How long it takes to get out the door with two kids. Now it has always taken me a while to get out the door. I want to make sure I have everything. But really, now it takes for ever. I even watch the clock and start earlier and earlier and still seem to leave late for where ever we are going.
How to get on a schedule. With O I was able to get him on a schedule so that he was sleeping and waking about the same time every day. He was predicable, I knew when he would get up and when he would sleep and eat. Now with Little B there is no schedule except when it is time to leave the house he wants to sleep. I feel bad for him and I feel like he is always tire.
How to get both boys to nap at the same time. Right now it seems like they only nap one at a time. Most people say that is great then you get one on one time. This is true but it also means 6 hours of naps a day and nothing getting done. I can't clean or vacuum when O is sleeping and when O is up he wants to play and interact so no cleaning. I have tried to push O's nap back so that he will nap when Little B does, but this has seemed to backfire and Little B will not nap.
The joy I would have seeing my two boys play together. I love now that Little B is old enough to interact with O. He will laugh and smile at him and it is so much fun.
How much I would love my boys and my family. I love them so much it almost makes me cry. I love to spend time with them and do different things. I love to just watch them grow.
How much my life would change. Now I knew my life would change when we had O. We were going from just us to having a baby to be responsible for. That is all new, but baby two you already know it all right? Well that is wrong. I may know what to expect with a baby and I may be more relax with this baby but boy I did not know the changes that would happen. Why didn't anyone tell me?

So now if there is anything else that I should know or that anyone could help me with I am open to suggestions. Let me know what to expect or how to do something. I would love to get these boys to sleep at the same time.

Writer's workshop

2010-09-02T14:19:00.000-04:00

The Prompts
1.) Childhood fears you’ve taken into your adult life.
2.) Write a post that begins and ends with a merry-go-round.
3.) Why were you mortified? Write about a true embarrassing moment as though it was happening in slow motion.
4.) Open letter to a celebrity.

5.) Oprah says we all have a story. If you were on her show, what would your story be? What would you be talking about? What advice would she give you? Write about it and provide a snippet of your interview together.

**********************************************************************************

     As a child I grew up on the water. My family had a sailboat and we sailed the Chesapeake Bay. We would spend weeks at a time on the boat, my mom, my dad, my brother and I. We traveled up and down the bay and saw all kinds of things. We have been in very bad scary storms and all kinds of high winds. Things that scared me at the time and woulds seem like something that would stick with me, but didn't. I remember being in storms and thinking here we are in the middle of the water with a metal pole (the mast) sticking up from our boat, we are just asking for it. Nothing ever happened.
     The one fear I had and still carry with me today is a fear of bridges. I remember sitting on the bow rail of the boat telling my dad where oncoming boats were (this was just a ploy to keep me busy) and being afraid whenever we went under a bridge. For some reason I always envisioned a car falling from the bridge and hitting our boat. Don't ask me where I got this idea or why I thought this I just did. I did not like going under bridges. To make things worse I did not like to drive over a bridge either because I was afraid that something would happen and we would veer off the bridge and fall into the water.
    With that vision still in my mind to this day I do not like to drive over a bridge or go under one on a boat. I do drive over bridges almost everyday and I am fine. I just focus on where I am driving and don't look over the side. I also pray that there is no traffic that would cause me to stop on a bridge because then I might get really nervous. Since we have sold our boat I don't go under many bridges. We do get to take the boys out on the grandparents boats and one day we will have another boat so I will have to once again face my fear of going under bridges but I am sure I will be fine. After all it is just a funny little fear.

I did not have a good picture to go with this so I found a picture of my parent's boat. This is not my childhood sailboat, my brother owns that, but it is one of the boats I can take my boys out on now.

Wordless Wednesday- Don't tell O about this toy.

2010-09-01T09:25:00.002-04:00

So Little B has discovered one of O's toys and boy did he like it.

He played with it long enough for me to get dressed for the day.

And I even let him take it with us

We just could not tell O how much Little B enjoyed his toy. He is not ready to share yet.

Whatcha Say Wendnesday

2010-09-01T07:09:00.001-04:00

This is a new hop from Stash Moma. It sounds like fun so I thought I would give it a try.

1. What is your favorite Halloween Costume, or What are you going to let your kid(s) be for Halloween this year?

This year O keeps saying that he want to be "The Big Brown Truck Driver" in other words he wants to be a UPS delievery person. He found the costume in a catalog and stated that this is what he wants to be. He Loves the "Big Brown Truck".

Little B is going to follow in O's footsteps and be a dragon. I was able to find O's first costume just the other day. He was so cute and I know Little B will be too.

2. What extracurricular activities were you apart of in High School/College?
In High school I was in the Marching Band and then competed in Solo competitions. In college I was is a franternity and the marching band.

3. How did you come across blogging?
I have a couple of friends who started blogs, only one still blogs, and when I became a stay at home mom I decided that I would blog as a way to keep up on my writing skills.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Oh Tuesday

2010-08-31T21:15:00.000-04:00

Wow we have been busy these last couple of days. I am not sure where the time has gone. Yesterday Little B and I took a day trip to Philly to visit one of my college roommates. She and I have been best friends since college and have gone through a lot together. So last fall when she called and told me she was expecting I was so excited because I was pretty sure I was expecting too. As it turned out we had the same due date! Well things did not turn out how we thought they would and the day after Christmas I got a call from her husband saying that the baby was born. She was only 24 weeks along. The baby was 1 lb 4 oz and 12 in long. To make a long story short yesterday Little B and I went to go visit for the first time. We had a great time but it was a long day and a lot of driving.
Today was another long day packed with things to do. We took O to school and then met the real estate agent at our rental property to discuss possibly selling it. It was then on to a play date and then to pick up O. Again a fun day and look what Little B can almost do.

He can't stay this way for long and I kind of think it is his diaper that is holding him up. But boy is he close to sitting on his own. Where has the time gone? My little baby is almost sitting.