I can't remember...

...if I mentioned it or not, but Jeremy & I FINALLY put our old entertainment center on the curb (you know, the one that leaned, had a door ripped off, had plywood holding it up and chunks missing from dozens of spots). The move was long overdue!

Needless to say, as a part of that process, we ended up with a new TV. The reason we hadn't gotten a new TV before was that we didn't want to buy a new entertainment center. Since we'll be moving in less than a year and a half, we hated to buy anything that might not work in our next place, which will hopefully be somewhere we'll be for a very long time (and we'd rather have built-ins anyway). Jeremy had suggested using the coffee table (which is mostly just something the kids ran into and used as a diving board anyway), but I had rejected that idea. However, while we were at my parents house, I realized that their TV stand (one specifically made for flat panel TVs) looked an awful lot like our coffee table. So, we're using our much abused coffee table as a temporary TV stand.

I am so loving this new set-up! The room seems tons bigger without the coffee table (though we do have an unsightly spot in the carpet due to different wear patterns) and we don't have the hideous monstrosity of a cheap entertainment center screaming "look at me, I'm ugly" anymore.


There is one drawback. I hate to admit this, because it is a bit redneck, but I've been using the coffee table as a weight bench. Yep, you heard that right, I've been using my nice solid oak, Amish made coffee table as a weight bench. Just throw a towel on it and, voila, you have a functional piece of gym equipment. I've been trying to avoid buying a bench because we don't have a good place to put it (note to self, we need a room for a home gym in the next house). I seriously need to find a solution to this problem, because I haven't been able to do chest presses in the last month.

I have a stripper!

So, today Lucy was running around the house wearing a dress. The dress didn't have a matching diaper cover, so it was just the dress and a pair of socks for her wardrobe. When she woke up from her nap, I went in to get her only to find her diaper off (which I quickly followed with a short, but fervent, prayer that she had not pooped or peed since taking it off). Of course, yes, she had indeed peed in her bed (I suppose I can grudgingly admit that it was a blessing that she hadn't pooped). So, of course her sheets, her dress, her stuffed hippo and her blanket need washed (and a bath for her, too) . Then I looked closer -- she had somehow peed down the side of the crib, so that the dust ruffle was wet and had wicked under the mattress. So, I had to wipe the entire mattress down, as well as the crib. Uggghh...like I didn't have enough laundry to do already!

Since this incident, I have had to put her socks on at least three times and she has removed her pants fully once and had them half off about 4 more times. What am I going to do with this girl?!?!

Best bumper sticker I've seen in ages...

...and I saw it last weekend while we were in Ohio.

"God bless America and the farmer that feeds your fat ass."

It made me smile!

I don't think I've mentioned it here...

...but I'm not sure and I'm too lazy to go back and look. Jeremy & I have been planning a trip to Europe for some time now. Originally, it was something we put on our "thing to look forward to" list that we kept while he was in Iraq and it was going to be a trip for just the two of us. Just recently, however, we decided to include Hannah. I doubt we'll travel back to Europe while Hannah is school aged (yikes -- only 5 1/2 years left!) and we didn't want her to miss out on the opportunity.

We're planning on making this a real adventure. And I'm not very adventurous, but I'm totally looking forward to the trip. As a service member, we're eligible to travel what is called "space A" or "space available". Essentially, if the military has a flight going somewhere they will allow soldiers to use any unused seats for free (or for a minimal cost, like airport fees at some locations). The trick with space A is that you don't know if you can get on a flight (or even when the flights will be) until the last minute. So, we'll be traveling to the Baltimore area (there are several airports within about an hour of there that we can travel from) and waiting for a flight. Because of the potential of having to wait for seats, we'll be going this spring -- before the busy tourist season -- so that we don't have to spend too many days waiting for flights (especially since Hannah will have to miss extra days from school).

I think we'll be renting a car, though our original plan was to use the train system. However, after talking to my aunt & uncle, we think the rental car is a better bet. Our itinerary is constantly changing right now, though Paris is a non-negotiable item on the list and some of Germany is a given (since we'll be flying in and out of there).

I just CANNOT wait, even though I'm a bit nervous!

Kids!

I've decided that my children wake up each morning and start the day by lying in bed thinking about how much trouble they can cause.

We spent last weekend in Ohio. My parents have a guest bedroom that Jeremy & I stay in, which also has a pack-n-play in it for Lucy. There is a dresser next to the pack-n-play. I'd never given the dresser much though, except that it is handy to use as a changing table. On Sunday, Lucy took a very long nap. When she got up, her hair was really wet and she was sticky. I was dumbfounded as to why she had sweat so much, but went on with life and made note that she would need a bath that night. Then I went in to the room to pack to go home. I noticed that the dresser, by the end where the pack-n-play sits, was covered in greasy stuff. Uh-oh! Then I opened the drawer at that end (which had greasy stuff all over the handle and edge) and discovered an open (and very large) jar of Vaseline. Upon further inspection, I realized that the pack-n-play, sheets, blankets, teddy, a pair of old sunglasses, two spare alarm clocks and her tennis shoes all had copious amounts of Vaseline on them. Oh yeah, and she had got hold of the dirty (though wrapped up) diaper that someone had forgotten to pick up off the table after changing her before her nap -- yuck!!! It took two baths to get her hair to stop feeling sticky.

And then yesterday, while the two littlest were sleeping, Reid was playing very quietly behind one of the living room arm chairs. It is an odd place to play, yes, but it is also where the cat sleeps most of the time, so I figured he was just petting the cat. Then I realized he was being too quiet. I asked him if he was playing with the cat and he just smiled at me, so I took that as a yes. Yeah, that was my mistake. Then the cat started hacking, like he was choking. I jumped up to find that Reid had tied a string (a shoestring from a beading set) VERY tightly around the cats neck. Another three minutes and we might not have a cat anymore. Seriously, what is wrong with that kid?!?! I came to the conclusion, however, that he was most likely attempting to make a leash for the cat. Still, I think the beading set is going to have to go!

What will it be next?

Some love for my Lucy!

And, just because she is cute, I wanted to post a few shots of Lucy. I can't believe how big she is getting!!!

This was her enjoying the Rose Bowl. The cheerleading outfit was just TOO cute!!!

And a couple I snapped while taking Ross' three year photos...she demanded to be included!

Ross turned THREE!!!

And that means that we should officially be over the terrible twos, right? Yeah...I'm not so sure about that. He sure as heck did his best to get his money's worth out of being two over the last several weeks...you could say he went out with a bang! Now, don't get me wrong -- I love Ross to pieces. He is, without a doubt, the snuggliest of my children -- he's always happy to sit and cuddle. However, he has also been the most trying (especially at night -- Lucy has always slept better than he has). I think he is responsible for 90% of my grey hair...

I was quite pleased with the photos I managed to snap of him for his "official portrait". Here are a few...I'm still not sure which is my favorite.

And here is his cake. He demanded polka dots, so polka dots it was.

The cake is red velvet and there are two kinds of frosting -- cream cheese on the cupcakes and vanilla buttercream on the cake (because Jeremy won't eat cream cheese). Until he complains, I think red velvet will be his official birthday cake flavor.

And here is a shot of the birthday boy blowing out his candles:

I can't wait to see what the next year brings for Ross! This year will bring preschool and some sports and heaven knows what else -- it will be an adventure, I'm sure!

The annual thinning of the toys...

I'm sure those of you with small children know exactly what I'm referring to, when I say "today is the annual post-Christmas thinning of the toys". As in, with all the new toys the kids got, I need to sort through and dispose of some of the old ones, in order for everything to fit in the house. I didn't start the day out with this on my agenda, but as I was cleaning the boys bedroom I realized that I needed to do it. I also decided that this was an excellent time to wash all the toys. So, I have everything sorted into piles -- dishwasher safe, washing machine safe, things to put in a tub full of bleach and those things that need a careful hand cleaning. Ugh...this is going to take forever!!! And to show just how truly compulsive I am, I am even planning on putting the legos through the washer in a pillow case. Yes, I am really that Type A.

The easiest things to get rid of are the broken things -- no guilt there. Of course, Reid had a MAJOR fit today when I threw out one of his broken toys. It was wooden and was starting to splinter in places, which isn't really safe so I should have probably pitched it months ago. Yet, said toy led to at least 15 minutes of screaming by him with a following lecture by me on not abusing toys. I'm pretty sure he heard 0% of the lecture.

Next are the toys that have been consistently abused (such as the toy vacuum sweeper that we had to rid ourselves of previously because the hose was used as a whip).

And, since Lucy is our last, I need to pack up the baby toys. A few (not many) are being kept in a box for when we have company over, but the rest need to be either passed on, donated or tagged for the consignment sale this spring. I would like to say that I'm a little sad about it, but the truth is that (being the minimalist that I am) I'm thrilled to get the stuff out of here.

While I don't relish the washing and sorting, I absolutely love the feeling of satisfaction that I get from completing a project like this. I wonder how many days it will take me to finish this...

Now the only question that remains is, how to distract the boys so that I can pitch all the McDonald's toys?!

Some resolutions for the new year!

So, I've been contemplating what resolutions I'd like to adopt for the coming year. In doing so, I'm trying to stick with things that are both realistic and will be good for me. I have come up with two:



1. I'm going to train for and run a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) this year. Ideally I'd like to run it in August or September, but my specific goal is to do it in 2o10. I'm planning on starting on this goal by running a shorter race sometime in the next two months, probably the "Krispy Kreme Challenge" in February, just to get a feel for how running in a race will affect me. This is a 4 mile run where you down a dozen Krispy Kremes half way through the race. I'm planning on forgoing the donut eating (and subsequent donut vomiting).



2. I'm going to get all the birthday and anniversary cards out this year. I did a wretched job last year while Jeremy was gone...seriously, I didn't get cards made for 90% of the people on my list and the ones I did get finished often sat, unsent, for months on my desk. I felt like a total schmuck and staying on top of these will help alleviate a little bit of the guilt I feel for being a horrible at keeping in touch with friends and family.

I'm looking forward to 2010 being a productive and joyous year for our family and pray that it is for you as well!