It's been a busy week!

Really, it has. Beyond the normal stuff (Reid's two days of preschool and two different speech appointments), I also had a doctor's appointment and got together with friends on two separate occasions. I also choose this week to start my spring cleaning. I'm going to pick one or two rooms a week and clean them from top to bottom. This week was the boys bathroom, which took a surprising amount of work and more than one Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (they managed to get a lot of paint from their step-stool on my cabinets). I even went so far as to re-seal the grout on the tile, which is still drying right now. I'll be able to put it back together tomorrow and then I'll probably tear apart Hannah's bathroom.

I signed Reid up for soccer this week and he is completely excited about it. Unfortunately, his first practice and game will be when I'm in Ohio next weekend visiting Hannah. Seems I can't win no matter what. He keeps asking if Grandma is going to take him to his soccer ball. He is just too funny right now!

Ross was kind enough to knock one of my living room lamps over this week. The lamp survived, but the shade did not. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a matching shade for the remaining one, so I had to buy two new ones. Not an inexpensive incident in the least. I suppose I should look at the bright side -- I wasn't particularly fond of the shades we had.

So, I have a weekend full of projects ahead of me. Oh, and one of those is finishing the taxes -- yuck!!!

Invoking the power of Murphy's Law

So, I've been meaning to post this for a while now...



About two weeks ago, we suddenly began having potty success with Ross. He had squirted several times for us over the course of a week, however we had no business to report. The boys ended up staying at Grandma & Grandpa's on a Friday night (an unusual occurrence around here). When I went down on Saturday morning to retrieve them, John mentioned that there was a Krispy Kreme run in Durham (or Raleigh, not sure which anymore) that morning. Reid immediately begin pestering us to get donuts. In order to stop the pestering, I told Reid & Ross that we would get Krispy Kremes when Ross did his business on the potty. Now, I figured there was about a 2% chance that Ross would be successful with this anytime in the near future. I was also serious. So, I took the boys home and we went about our day. At one point (I can't remember if it was after lunch or after nap time), I sat Ross on the potty. And guess what he did? Yep, he did his business. Luckily, Grandma & Grandpa had gone grocery shopping that morning, so I was able to call them and ask them to pick-up a box of Krispy Kremes. Wonderful timing on Ross's part, don't you think?



Additionally, the week before all this occurred, I finally broke down and invested in a new stash of cloth diapers for Ross. Now, these aren't cheap. However, they are less expensive than disposables in the long run. Still, I thought we were a long way off on potty training when I ordered those diapers.



I guess the potty training fairy has a sense of humor and goes by the name Murphy...

Look at what I made!

As I mentioned previously, I have wanted to make Lucy a "pillowcase dress". I did that this week, and also made matching bloomers and a hat. Now, I use the term "pillowcase" loosely, as I didn't use a pillowcase at all. But, it is modeled after a pillowcase dress. I am quite proud of myself, as I did not use a tutorial or pattern for any of these three pieces. I simply went off of pictures of pieces that I liked (mostly on Etsy).

I'm really pleased with the way these turned out, though I do want to make some adjustments when I make my next set. The hat is a bit too big and the bloomers are a tad too small (or will be by the time it warms up). The dress is just about right, though I want to try finishing the arm holes differently and will probably make future ones just a touch larger.

The cool thing is that I only have about $5 (if even) in materials invested in this set.

I will try to take pictures as I go and write up my own tutorial, just for the fun of it.

Three down...

...and entirely too many months left on this deployment.

I'd like to be optimistic and positive about this, but I'm not capable of that right now. It honestly feels like this is just never going to end.

The good news is, that I'm officially down another 5 pounds, so 15 total since Jeremy left. I should mention here that I haven't weighed this much (or perhaps I should say little) since before Hannah was born. Virtually all of my clothes are too big, most by two sizes at this point.

As a treat, I bought myself a pair of shoes this weekend. Aren't they cool?

I bought them to go with a dress I got last fall. I've been looking for a pair like this to go with the dress for a while now. I will need to practice walking in these before I can wear them out of the house. I should mention now that it didn't occur to me until this morning that the dress I bought these to go with is probably now entirely too big. Ah, well, these will go lovely with my jeans don't you think?

Good thing they were on sale...

What is WRONG with people?

Yesterday Lucy and I spent the day traveling from North Carolina to Ohio. The boys stayed with Grandma & Grandpa B., as I'm not brave enough to fly alone with all three of them.


Our first flight was a short one and Lucy did really well. She played for a bit, then got a bit fussy, so I gave her a pacifier, covered her head with her dust rag (our term for her burp cloth) and she passed out. We had an hour layover in Charlotte, which I thought would be enough time to change and feed Lucy. I was wrong, it wasn't. I ended up practically running through the airport to get to our next flight. By the time we got to the gate, everyone had already boarded. We were the 2nd to the last people on the flight and I was an irritable, sweaty mess by the time I sat down. We repeated what happened on the first flight -- played a bit and then went to sleep. I was thinking "this went too well", all things considered, when the pilot came over the intercom announcing that we were heading back to Charlotte because they smelled smoke on the plane. Aggghhh -- I almost cried. I knew there was no way Lucy would continue being a happy camper about the traveling with this delay. And I was right. She did fine until we landed, but she was a grumpy little thing while we waited at the gate for them to decided what they were doing with us. I think we must have waited about an hour between the time we got off one plane and a different one took off. Fortunately, she only fussed for about 5 minutes and screamed for another 5 after we got on the 2nd plane, before I figured out how to calm her. The trick? I had to swaddle her so she couldn't move, cover her head and give her a paci. She slept the rest of the way there.


All in all, Lucy did do really well. Much better than I thought she would.


Now, my complaint is all the people around us. Do people really think a grown woman is incapable of caring for her baby on her own? I can't tell you how many people came up to Lucy and either touched her (a common complaint among the mom's I know) or got right in her face. Hasn't anyone ever heard of germs (yes, we would like to have the cold you are getting over)? Or stranger anxiety (something Lucy has plenty of)? Of just a respect for other people's personal space? I really tried to be polite and stay civil, but by the time Johnna picked me up in Columbus I had completely lost my patience.


I had a gentleman attempt to help me unhook my stroller. He insisted that he help me. So, I stood with Lucy getting fussier by the minute while I watched this man take 3 minutes to do what I could do in 20 seconds. I tried several times to take it back from him, saying I was fine, but he would hear nothing of it. Yes, very very helpful indeed. And while we were waiting for a new plane in Charlotte, I put Lucy in the sling. Several people asked if I needed help (with alarmed looks on their faces that said "oh my gosh, she's going to drop that child") and I politely declined. A little old woman came up behind me, though, and without asking said "let me get this for you" and snapped the clips. She about squeezed Lucy's lunch out of her stomach (and all over my shirt). The straps were too tight because I had last had Lucy on my back. I knew they needed loosened, but this woman didn't. Grrrrr... Yes, people, I have NEVER used this thing before. I thought I would try it out while traveling alone.


I think I need to get a shirt before I head back on Monday that says "I know what I'm doing, I don't need your help, yes she is cute and don't even think about touching her".

Boys!

I thought this deserved its own post. Look what my dear little boy (the littler of the two) did yesterday. Ugghh...what a mess! I was sure as I was cleaning this up that there would be chunks missing out of my wood floor. Luckily, I was just left with a few scratches and dents. And I suppose I should be glad it landed on the wood and not on the carpet -- I would have been shampooing if it had gone the other way.

The noise from the crash scared both of the boys silly (particularly the one at fault) -- which I couldn't help but think was well deserved.

That plant has, ironically, been giving me fits. It did really well when I first potted it, but has been struggling for some time now -- I've tried everything to get it healthy again. I guess I'll take that as a sign to scrap it and start over.

Lucy's 5 month photos!

So, Lucy turned five months old earlier this week. Where oh where did the time go? It hardly seems possible that she is five months!!! She really rolls around now in both directions and can take herself clear across a room. Earlier this week I also caught her trying to crawl. She can get up on her knees a bit and kinda "worm" her way forward. She really is such a little sweetheart!

Here are a few of my favorite pics!

Feeling good!

So, I'm still on my exercise kick. Actually, I shouldn't call it a kick -- it is really more of a new lifestyle. I have no intentions of going back to my sedentary ways.


I have an elliptical that we got about 6 years ago that I absolutely love. I've used it for 99% of my cardio workouts since I got it (and I got it because it is what I used at the gym for the 1 1/2 years prior to that). See, I've never liked to run. Let me rephrase that correctly -- I've HATED running my entire life. Well, working out 6 or 7 days a week as left me a little bored with my elliptical. Don't get me wrong -- I still love the thing. I just need some variety. So, I have decided to start jogging. Not only that, I want to run a 5K sometime this summer, preferably before Jeremy comes home on R&R. Now, to those of you who are runners, that might not sound like a lot. However, that is a huge deal to me. Yesterday was my first trip out. I did two short laps around our block, which took about 10 minutes (this was after 20 minutes on the elliptical). Today I decided to push it a little more -- I did about 23 minutes and what I believe to be about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 miles. I felt really good when I got done. And, really, I can't wait to get back out there. It was so nice to feel the sun on my face and smell the fresh air.


I'm happy to report I'm still losing weight. The best thing is, though, that I feel really good. I have more energy (in spite of my consistent lack of sleep), I don't get winded easily, and I just feel strong and healthy. What on earth did I wait 30 years for to get in shape?!?!

Some love for the boys!

We had gorgeous weather here on Sunday and Monday, which meant the boys got lots of time in the backyard. I love it when it is nice enough for me to have the back door open, so that the boys can come and go as they please. One of the things I love about the house is the fact that the kitchen, dining and living rooms are all within earshot of the backyard (and we have a securely fenced yard). When Ross was itty bitty, I could let Reid out in the backyard and just yell when I wanted to check on him. He'd come press his face up against the screen and let me know he was okay before going back to whatever it is he was doing.

So, anyway, here are a few pictures of the boys enjoying their sandbox!


Look at these eyes!!! When Ross was a baby I was always getting stopped by people commenting on how dark and pretty they are. And they still are just as gorgeous!

Do you see what I see?

Check out these photos!

Those were taken in my yard last week. The first is of the Bradford Pear in my front yard -- I noticed the new buds forming early last week. And look at the blue sky! Now I understand why they call it Carolina blue. The second photo is of my day lilies growing in. I cleaned away the dead foliage from last year after I took the photo, and there is significantly more growth there than you might think from the picture.

Did I mention it is about 60 degrees here right now?

I am so ready for spring (and boy oh boy do I NOT miss Ohio right now)!

What a nice birthday!

So, I had a very nice 30th birthday (thanks to all of you who sent well wishes). Mom & Dad sent me lovely floral arrangement, so my kitchen is now full of pretty blooms. John & Betty took me out to eat and then treated me to cake and ice cream (both homemade). Betty deserves a lot of credit, because I refused to tell her what kind of cake I wanted and, in spite of that, she made exactly what I would have wanted and exactly what Jeremy always makes me (and Jeremy didn't give her any help, either). The cake is a recipe I got from my friend, Susan, and has chocolate chips, sugar and nuts sprinkled on top. It is soooo good.

On Friday, some of our good friends dropped off an edible arrangement for me, which was really such a sweet surprise. It was really good and both the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The kids & I plowed through more than half of it as a before bed snack and finished most of the rest off for breakfast the next morning. Now that is a great birthday gift -- something I can share with the kids without feeling guilty! I do have a tip for you, though -- eat from all sides of the arrangement as you go, not just one side. We got done with our before bed treat and I had a hard time getting the arrangement to stand up in the fridge because it was too heavy on the one side. Perhaps I should have been intelligent enough to figure this out on my own, but, well, I wasn't.

And last night my good friend Melissa came down and spent the evening here. I guess you could say we had a grown up slumber party. We didn't do anything exciting (I guess we are getting old), but I had a wonderful time just visiting with her. In fact, as a sign of just how old and boring we are, Melissa went with me to the grocery store. Fun, huh? Hey, that is what I do on Saturdays! Besides, we got to visit while we were there. And, really, what exciting things were we really going to do with Lucy in tow? (By the way, Lucy got the message about the party, because she refused to go to sleep until 10:00!!!)