Don't Miss The Boat!

Stop by Some Sex And The Suburbs for a fabulous giveaway!  She is super talented and has a fun sophisticated style!  I wish I was half as talented as her!  She isn't afraid to conquer any craft genre! 

Robeez Don't Have Anything On Me...

Check out my first pair of baby shoes!  My BFF Kate taught me how to make these adorable guys!  I can't wait to make more!  There are just so many embellishing possibilities!  Think of what ribbon, bows, flowers, and buttons could do jazz up these little jewels!  Click here for the pattern and a fabulous tutorial!  They are so easy and require hardly any fabric!  A perfect project for all of your fabric scraps!

AJ's Emergencies, Smores, and Privileges Revoked

As I finished changing Abby's diaper Saturday morning, a stressed AJ runs into her room yelling, "Help momma, help!"...no need to panic...he just discovered a string on the sleeve of his puppy pajamas.  He was not satisfied until we located a pair of scissors and removed it.  Upon cutting the string he enthusiastically said, "Thanks momma!"  I hugged him and said, "Anything for you AJ."  He walked around the house the rest of the day saying, "anything for me...anything for me..."  Ha!  He is only slightly egotistical.

 As we were eating dinner that night, a frantic AJ screamed, "Oh no, help!" 

 You see, his little chick had a medical emergency.  This was serious.  He loves that chick.  He cracks up every time he opens the egg and is greeted with his little friend.

No worries, the eye has been reattached and little chick is expected to make a full recovery.

After aiding AJ in his emergencies and tucking the kiddos safely into bed, we settled in for a movie and a gooey, chocolatey treat.

What could be better than smores?

Smores made with caramel and vanilla marshmallows!  Yum!

We enjoyed these little treats as we watched the movie The Boy In Striped Pajamas.  I cried my eyes out and officially revoked Andy's movie picking privileges.

Go Get 'Em Tiger!

Check Here for an amazing video!

This Happens Every Year...

My flowers bloom...and then it snows...

we are approaching two feet...making it difficult for a toddler to move around.

Freedom of Expression

Abby and AJ express themselves through their amazing sense of fashion...

whether it be....

camo from head to toe and booties....or....

sweat pants, booties, a turtle neck, a fire engine red Thomas robe, and camo jacket....or...

AJ's perception of "Daddy's hair"...or...

sassy onesies!

(for the record...AJ selects what he is going to wear for the day...I pick my battles...and his wardrobe is simply not worth a fight)

Our Easter Weekend

The chilly weather and wind didn't hold AJ back from the annual neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt Saturday.  

He was on a mission...

Even scoping out the eggs on the playground equipment as he was picking up eggs in the wood chips...

The slide was definitely a more efficient route than the stairs...

and he didn't even lose a single egg on the way down...now that is serious egg hunting skill.

The Easter Bunny brought a Thomas shirt, a new book, a Cars note pad, a dinosaur cup, and a dinosaur bowl...

but nothing could compete with fruit snacks he left in the eggs that he hid Sunday morning...

As we were rushing around to get ready to go to Nana and Papa's our hearts stop hearing one of the worst sounds in the world: the crash of plastic as it falls down a flight of stairs followed by the blood curdling scream of an adventurous toddler.  I guess riding the fire truck down the stairs seemed like a good idea at the time.  Check out the fat lip.

Taking a family picture is much like choreographing a three ring circus these days.  Capturing an exact moment with everyone smiling, looking in the same direction, or all having our eyes open at the same time seems to be impossible...this is the best we could do this year.  

Here is Abby's first Easter dress!  She wasn't exactly thrilled, but momma had fun dressing her up!

She is kind-a smiling in this one...unlike the twenty other pictures I have where she is screaming about the whole dress and tights get-up.

AJ was completely egg-hausted from the weekend festivities!  Notice the camo sweat pants...because wearing the nice Easter outfit mom had set out was just too much to ask of a 2 and half year old...the button up shirt and camo made a nice fashion statement...business causal meets military lounge wear.

I Had To Call For Backup

As a parent, there are humbling experiences or moments that slightly alter your perspective of the world or change your parenting philosophies...little things like finally giving your first baby the pacifier you vowed you would not use in the hospital after they cry for two hours straight...

Then...

There are experiences that violently take you down a few notches in your self-perceived parenting mastery...where you have to accept that you have absolutely no control of some situations.  

I fell from the top of my parenting ladder Thursday morning where I had previously viewed myself as the hard-ass disciplinarian in household...the parent/teacher that was never going to have the child that ruled the roost...

It started out bad when at 6:30 am AJ rolled over as I woke him up and said matter-a-factly, "AJ's house today mom."...as in he wasn't going to daycare that day.  Well, I am the parent and it wasn't really an option for him to stay at "AJ's house", so I informed him that he needed to get up and get dressed for the day.  He responded with an angry, "NO!" and covered back up.  From there it escalated into a battle to get him dressed.  It is 7:00 now...20 minutes behind schedule...the time I am usually pulling into the drive to drop him off at daycare.  Although neither one of us sustained any battle wounds from getting him dressed...we were both pretty worked up.  My head was pounding, I'd already burned through my deodorant for the day before I had even left the house, and I was imagining my neighbor calling either the police or social services after hearing AJ's screams....and he was still refusing to leave the house.  Are you kidding me?!  

I picked up my kicking, screaming child up as he violently flailed his arms and legs around.  At that point, I called Andy out of desperation and in tears seeking advice.  Andy says just put him in the car seat and go.  HA!  If only it were that easy!  Okay, deep breathe...regroup...try to put AJ in his car seat...

just to be faced with more kicking, screaming, hitting, and the arching his back thing making it impossible to get him into his car seat.  

I call Andy a second time and like my knight in shining armor he says, "I'm on my way."  Andy comes home from work to take the kids to daycare, I call work to make plans with a teammate in case I don't make it in by the time school starts, and I finally get to leave for work over an hour late....I was exhausted and defeated before the day even started.  

I never thought I would be the parent that surrendered to the two and a half year old, but Thursday morning someone had to give in...either me or AJ...

There are just some moments that are truly out of your control before you even start.  It didn't matter that I had breakfast ready to go the night before or everyone's clothes set out or the "perfect" morning routine...I was not prepared for or above the almighty force of an irrational child.  

Friday morning I woke up dreading what was ahead of me, holding my breathe, praying for a smooth morning, and walking on egg shells...

AJ turned over in his bed with a smile on his face before he even opened his eyes and the morning ran like clockwork...even ahead of schedule enough for a Starbucks and doughnut...  

I don't get it...what makes one day so traumatic and the next so smooth?...

    

A Spring Craft Fair!

Today I went to a fabulous Craft Fair at a Hooli's house!  Check out my loot!

Beyond Imagination made this delicious scarf!  Perfect for all of our spring snow storms!

Denver Burnette made this scrumptious bag!

I love all the fun details!

The zipper is an unexpected pop of color...

& the inside a mod surprise!

I'm Not Even Kidding made this chic baby sling!  Check out her Etsy shop for the perfect baby momma gift!

Craftoholic Anonymous gifted me with this great Amy Butler paper!  I am in love!

What an amazing day!

Missions Accomplished

We have a big...I mean Costco economy sized box of Buzz Lightyear and Woody pull-ups that AJ was refusing to wear.  He demanded, "THOMAS UNDERWEAR!"  Great...now what...?

Mission:  Convince our 2 1/2 year old that Buzz Lightyear and Woody pull-ups are in fact cool enough to wear.

Game Plan:  Our first family movie night.  

Feature Presentation:  Toy Story

Result:  AJ screaming, "BUZZ UNDERWEAR!" as he ran upstairs for bedtime.

Mission Accomplished!

Mission:  Get girlfriend sleeping through the night.

Game Plan: Skip a night feeding by holding her instead of feeding her one night when she wakes up, let her cry it out the next night, full exhausting days at daycare, fresh diaper, warm bottle, sedative swaddle.

Result: 6 days straight of sleeping from 7:00pm to 4-5:30ish am.

Mission Accomplished!

Thank you Lizz and Baby Wise!