Welcome to my crazy, happy, wonderful, crazy, magical, fantastic, crazy, unbelievable life.
I hope you find it as fantastic as I do!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Good idea for a day when I didn't know what to do!

Ever have those days? Just don't know what to do in order to entertain your children or yourself ? :P I like bubbles, and messing around in the sand box. I even like coloring and basic things like that, but today, when I felt all others were boring, I decided I wanted to do something a lot more creative. Thinking and thinking, looking around my house, I all of a sudden had a disgusted feeling as I glanced in the general direction of some unmatched socks that USED to belong to my husband. Before I could get too mad, (I mean where THE he** are all their matches??? where????) I got a "sockingly" good idea. :) I found two of the ugliest abandoned mates, and scraped together some foam shapes from some animal puppets I made once, and some felt and my glue and I had the makings of.....SOCK PUPPETS! (I like how I felt like I had a climactic result when I'm sure my readers put two and two together around sentence 3. :) Anyway, it was great fun. Natalie didn't want to stop adding stuff but eventually we needed to stop and let them dry so that we could play later. I didn't want to mess with Nat's so much cause there is a lot of glue on that sucker. haha...but here are a few of my masterpiece!! Such a fun any day project, or on rainy days, or days like today, when I just needed to let some creativity flow when crayons and play-dough just weren't cuttin' it.
Hayden is doing so much better today, so far. She is more herself..ate a lot at dinner last night and has been chowin' down all day today, so that's a huge plus. I'm hoping teething takes a back seat for a while so that she can continue to be happy and enjoy life! YAY! SO happy my choogar choogar is happy :) Glad you are BOTH having righteous days, girls. :) I LOVE YOU!! XO Mom

Monday, April 23, 2012

What a weekend!!

We went on a road trip to Dallas this weekend. I'm sure I've mentioned before that Hayden isn't a "great" traveler. :( This weekend was no exception. She had a slight fever the night before we left, and had been very crabby. I discovered when brushing her teeth that she was getting the #5 AND #6 tooth at the same time! After all this waiting, she finally broke them through! It made her very tired, and grumpy for three days though. I hated waking her up on the morning of the drive. She was so tired and luckily she did ok during that drive. One thing I was worried about was that she hadn't had a real meal in days because of the descending teeth. She seemed bothered by most everything I tried to feed her. Normally she is not very picky at all....she just likes change. Nothing worse than not being able to fix your child's "owy." :( Part of the trip to Dallas was to look around the area and we actually found some pretty cool stuff. :)
As it got closer to the evening time, we headed over to my hubby's cousin's house for some rest and dinner and so the girls could stretch their legs. Natalie loves playing with their daughters so it was a win win situation. :) I was exhausted by that time and felt like a zombie. That feeling would only intensify. :( Natalie was too scared to sleep on the cute princess blow up bed they prepared for her, so she had to sleep with daddy and mommy. The bed is comfy, but definitely not big enough for two adults and a 3 year old who likes to "swim" as she sleeps. :( She woke up a lot and would talk out loud, or flip flop like a dolphin (what's with all the aquatic references? :) Anyway, I got to sleep a little, but not much. Hayden was kinda restless too. Her pack-n-play bed is on it's last leg. It was hard to put up AND take down. The mat wouldn't straighten out either! UGH. After a lot of use from Natalie's infancy years and now Hayden's...I think it's time to retire. After breakfast and some play time it was time to get back into the car, and then all hell broke loose. Natalie was sad sad sad to leave so she was a grump and Hayden did NOT want to be in that car seat....AGAIN. We got about 30 miles away from our lunch stop and Hayden was BALLING and throwing down a tantrum unlike all others. I've never heard such screams from her. Anyway, to say the least she was most happy when we finally got home. I should've put her down for a nap but both of them slept for about 40 minutes after lunch, and I didn't think they would sleep. BIG MISTAKE. After a while of playing Hayden was DONE. 2 HOURS before normal bed time. GEEZ. Hubs went to dinner with a couple of friends -one of which he hadn't seen in a long time- (we were supposed to go too, but no way the girls would be ok with more activity and car time, so I opted out). I was at my wit's end and I didn't want to put her down at 6:45 because she would've likely woken up at 4am! I decided to just ride out the storm and do my best to have fun with them and make Hayden forget her worries. She fell asleep for about 10 minutes in her little boppy chair, and then she wanted to cuddle me and then we had a little dancing party and played soccer throughout the house.
She was having a ball, and so was Natalie. :) Hayden can kick!! She was kicking and controlling her ball all around the house. It was so cute how proud she was of herself. Daddy got home just in time for bath time, so I was glad to have his help. :) While I was holding Hayden in her room, singing to her and getting ready to put her down, she hugged my neck so tight and gave me a few kisses. It was like she was saying "sorry mommy, I love you." That's what I got from allllll the craziness that those 36+hours entailed. She was glad I didn't freak out on her or give up on her. She was happy that I held it together, even though I have private moments of "what the HELL am I going to do????" I did the positive energy thing and it took the edge off of Hayden's discomfort and my own. We all slept good last night, and that, my friends....is all that matters to me right now. :) I truly adore every moment I spend with you my little lovelies. No matter how ugly things get, there isn't anything I love more than being your mommy. Just remember that when things get crazy, mommy is stressed because all she wants to do is fix what's wrong. I love you for your "magic," Natalie, for your imagination, dancing like nobody's watching, and your love of animals and nature. I love you for your inquisitiveness, Hayden, the way you check things out to see how it's going to work, for your love of music, and for your unique combination of impatience and calming force. You are both so amazing in all that you do and how you love. I also fully believe you will both be lawyers, because you both try to talk your way out of things, ALL the time. I can't understand you yet, Hayden, but you always show it to me in your facial expressions and puckered lip baby talk. I got you... ;)
I love you to Jupiter and back. :) XO Mom

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Too many days are passing between posts lately. :( I feel as though I'm becoming increasingly more busy. Gee...I wonder why that is??? ;) I have discovered Pinterest (after I've heard so many good things about it from a few people)...it's my escape. Even though I don't really have that much time for it, it's still fun when I can "pin." :) I'm hoping to find some good ideas for projects for the girls. I think I've blogged about it before, but it's really hard to find something that they can do together. I have one advanced child and one that still wants to eat and/or throw everything. oy. SO, I hope that there is something out there that can be modified for any age? :/ I'm so frustrated these days because Natalie's "sharing" has taken a wrong turn...yet again. The hoarding, the blocking, the violent tearing away from her sister's hand. OMG...it's too much sometimes!! I know full well that kids are kids, this is how they learn...and that it all has to get better eventually....but O...M...G. No amount of time-outs makes her understand that what she is doing is MEAN. And then there is Hayden...who is so willing to share even though it is not reciprocated. It's a weird dynamic that I just don't understand. One of her very independent things is being able to adapt to her surroundings. She will push her sister out of the way if Natalie is purposely blocking her...she has NO fear. She grunts and swats! It's hilarious. I also notice more and more that kids don't want to play with the "baby"...they are drawn to the older kids (which is exactly how Natalie was/is). Hayden is usually left in the dust, but she just gives them a face, turns around and finds a toy that she is interested in. It's pretty cool to see her personality is a "screw you" type. :) haha....I was great at playing by myself, as sad as that sounds, but as the baby I had to find my own entertainment. :) Natalie is trying to phase out her naps, which is not happening on my watch...not yet anyway. :) She gets up to use the bathroom like 40 times because that's the only excuse she has for doing so. I'm mostly afraid of her waking up her sister whom shares a wall with the bathroom. I dunno what to do. If I get mad she might pee her bed. I want her to understand that it's quiet time, she needs her rest, and only get up if it's an emergency. No matter how many different times I explain it, she still feels the "emergency" and gets up. (sigh) I guess those narcoleptic tendencies are disappearing. :( Daddy and I had our anniversary dinner on Saturday night. It was so awesome to go 30 minutes away and have a nice meal, wine, and stroll without all the "baggage" that is you. :) haha...That is not a "bad" term is it? :) You know that we love you so, but mommy and daddy need to recharge sometimes, and considering that we hadn't had a "date" in several months, it was time. It is important for us to be happy together, so we are happy for you. :) Things get stressful sometimes, but there are SO many fantastic moments too. :) Hayden, you are saying so many words now like ball, mama, dada, cup, milk (bilk), HIIIIII, buh-bye, dah-dah (dora), and you sing the "back pack song." You love Dora mostly, which is a step up cause you are never interested in TV...just books. Once in a while you get interested, but mostly not. You also like to groove to the ABC song. You canNOT hear it enough! Natalie, you are saying more words too. Like today when Hayden was crying, "Mommy, I don't think Hayden is being a good sport." HUH? haha...so funny. My favorite time of day is bedtime. Not cause you guys are going down for the night, but because it's our individual time. I love when I read books to you, Hayden, and you are so interested and involved. You love Itsy bitsy spider, and giggle every time the "spider" gets you. ;) When I shut the lights off and sing to you some more, you hug me and put your head on my shoulder and reach over for a kiss about 5 different times. It's such a fantastic, heart melting thing to experience at the end of the day. Natalie, you love books and I know you wish I could read 15 a night. It's your "hyper time" so you always need a few minutes to calm down. I think we might need new books, cause too much of the time you memorize them and read them with me. :) You always need about 6 kisses before I leave the room "oh, just ONE more, mommy" :) I surely don't mind that at all! Every time I leave your room, I think about you as a baby and how I can't believe I've been blowing you a kiss at the door, for almost 4 years. It's so unbelievable. No matter how much stress there is in a day, no matter what kind of crap is going on in my head, striving for perfection, your little arms wrapping around my neck is the best feeling....ever. To feel so loved by two little beating hearts is the best medicine to an ailing brain. :) I love you both to the moon and back, times 8. :) XO, Mom

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Mommy did it!

13 Months ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and simultaneously began a struggle. I had worked very hard, prior to getting pregnant, to lose the baby weight that I packed on with my first, and eventually lost it all plus some. I was so proud of myself and I have to admit, I was scared of the reenactment with baby #2! I did much better with weight gain in the second pregnancy, and lost half of it in the first two weeks after giving birth (grant it, Hayden was half of that half :) I sat and sat and sat at that number/size for what seemed like DECADES...but isn't "months" just as bad?? I tried boot camps, got back into running, tried diet plans...once or twice...other workout programs, and nothing seemed to work. I eventually started seeing slow movement...but nothing to be proud of. Finally, after Hayden turned one, my husband and I decided to do something together...which I believe, was my key. Not that I need a partner to lose weight successfully, but it's really helped to be able to discuss things with him and get his feedback since we are doing the exact same thing. It's nice to cook a dinner for both of us (not cook two separate ones) and it's just nice to know that we are in it together, showing our support to one another. I dunno if it's the new lifestyle or if it's the comforting thoughts of having a partner...or BOTH...but it's TOTALLY WORKING! :) It's been 6 1/2 weeks and although I haven't lost an obscene amount of weight, I've lost quite a few inches which has put me back in my pre-preggo clothes!! That's all I've wanted during these 13 months and I finally got there. It's kinda crazy thinking of all the times I cried and struggled, and struggled and cried. It sucked...to say the least, and I have a new found respect for hard work and determination. I'm not done yet, but I've accomplished my big goal and now it's on to my new ones! :) I hear you, Natalie, while I'm on the treadmill working hard to keep going, "go mama go! you can do it mom!!" That means so much to me. I am happy to include you and Hayden in our new lifestyle and how much you are enjoying new recipes and foods. We make our treat day "Special Saturday" and it makes it fun for all of us. I want you guys to understand that eating for health and exercising is very important for balancing life. I love you both so much for going with the flow and enjoying it all. :) I love you!!! XO, Mom

Monday, April 9, 2012

SPRING!

Spring has definitely sprung! We have had lots of fun-filled/busy weekends lately. I have attempted to blog about them on several occasions, but haven't been able to finish. SO here it is in a nutshell entry. :) The ZOO! We went to my cousin's birthday party (yes, first cousin. He is 33 years younger than I am!) at the zoo in Houston. It was a long road trip to and from but the zoo was super fun and the girls loved the animals and hanging with Uncle J and Lynda and all their cousins. Nat's favorite part was feeding the giraffes! She was great and not scared at all. SO proud of her.
(stole this pic from my sis-in-law....it is too good :)) Easter! Yesterday was Easter and it was so fun. The girls started the morning with an egg hunt (in their matching easter maxis ...LOVE). Then we had breakfast and opened all the eggs to see what surprises were in store. After all that fun, Mommy made lunch and Gramma and Grampa came over. We ate, then had another egg hunt outside along with some fun with confetti eggs and bubbles! Natalie had a blast! No nap made her pretty cranky by dinner time. We all had a great day. It was so spring-y outside. All our flowers have popped, our trees and grass are so green and lovely and all the butterflies were flocking to our bushes! LOVE IT. I love you to the moon and back, my babies...we had such fun and I know memories like this truly last forever! XO, Mom
Ok, I think that is ENOUGH pictures! For now... ;) Ciao!