a great day for this mommy!

A few weeks ago we finally went out and bought this:



It's a nice stroller, it's sharp looking, and it has a little storage, both under seats and neat little pouches on the back of each seat for stuff like pacifiers, cell phones and keys. Carrying Ben the little piglet in his carseat was just getting to be too much,(he is 9 months an 19 lbs!) and I wanted to be able to go places.

Today we went to a local farmers market and for a really, really long walk through the park. A little longer than I had planned actually. The stroller was great, it was so easy to push, the boys were comfortable. I'm so proud of myself that I did this, (I can do this!), I can just put everyone in the car and we can all enjoy outside and fresh air. It rocked, I'm all jazzed up. Came home and put the kidlets to bed for nap time, took a shower and used my new salt srub(that i picked up at the farmers market) smells like a stick of gum, has oils in it, so my skin feels all smooth and hydrated.

but the best thing today? Cheap gas! there was a radio promotion in our area and after waiting in a line for a half hour i filled up at 1.94 a gallon! normal prices are somwhere between 4.00-4.25 a gallon, all in all a great day!

what i did on my summer vacation...or yup still tired

A few weeks ago I gave up my precious piano, you know the one that sat in my dining room that noone knew how to play? It was badly out of tune, the veneer was peeling off, it smelled old and dusty, but it was free, and I have always wanted to know how to play..I did start lessons, but then I also started nursing school, then I started working as a new grad, then I was pregnant for will while working full time as a brand new nurse, then I had a newborn who became a toddler, then I was pregnant for ben....you see where this is going. I just didn't have the time or leftover braincells to learn something new. I still don't.

why did I give it up? Because we have a cute little 1300 square foot house, and it is exploding at the seams with all this kid stuff, mostly toys. Last night we went out and bought a huge bookcase to put where the piano had been, then a quick trip to walmart later we stocked up on lots of plastic bins-and instead of going to bed at a decent hour, I stayed up and did this:

yup I stayed up until 1am to sort toys-but I had so much fun! Noone interupted or took the toys away as I sorted them!

and now these two:

will be able to easily find what they want to play with, and I will only be dealing with one bin worth of mess at a time. (because of course there are new rules)

fyi-the top shelf is not in yet because we somehow did not get enough pins to hold the shelf up, but that one is going to be all my office type stuff-paperwork we need to keep, legal documents, stuff like that-heaven!
also holds all of the arts and crafts supplies that have been spilling over!

Dave is going to make me some doors(no really, he does that kind of thing all the time) so we can close it and everything just goes away...oh and we are going to paint it white. when that happens i'll post pics. For now just loving the organized toys and clean living room floor!

still tired, and could use a shower

Will was a little draggy yesterday-but after his three hour nap felt much better, my little neice was fine all day (except for when she bit Will on the back so hard he still has a mark) Ben however felt like sludge all day, he was a little warm, he wanted to be held, he didn't really want to eat.

last night he was up about every hour, and the only way i could get him to sleep was to put him in bed with me (thanking god for the king size bed)
I'm worried about him, because although he is cool today he really didn't eat much at all yesterday or last night.

dave was up all night making bathroom runs also, but so far aside from tired, i'm fine.

highlight of my day so far-the new assitant milkman that i've never met before letting himself into my trashed house (hey i had three kids under three hear yesterday) to bring in my milk while i am in pajama's with my hair standing up and no bra-good times

TIRED

last night was down and dirty in the trenches parenting, with dave and i each taking a puky kid for the night, passing in the middle of the night and comparing notes and each falling asleep a few hours before it was time to wake up for the day.

i know you've been there. today i have my almost two year old neice all day too, I tried to warn my sister but wasn't able to get her to answer the phone last night or this morning. It is what it is i guess.

gonna be a long day, wish me luck!

updates from our house

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Here are some updates for this week:
1) Ben has two teeth, and more are coming! I say that like it's a good thing, but the poor baby was up screaming in pain for an hour last night waiting for the meds to kick in.

2) Will now pees in the potty standing up, apparently daddy started teaching him but never told me, so imagine my surprise when he just starts doing it one day!

3) oh yeah while discussing peeing, earlier this week we were in the backyard playing when will told me he needed to go potty, so as he was on his way into the house, he suddenly stops walking, drops trow and pees in the middle of the yard. Then he shot me his most mischevious smile and went back to playing.

4) Will also told me a joke for the first time this week-"mom, why did the chicken cross the road?" I was stunned, where did he hear chicken jokes? When i did answer him he said "Because the monster truck was going to run him down" Yup that's my boy! (also taught to him by daddy i found out later)

5) Ben is trying to kill himself, suddenly you cannot sit on the couch and hold him because he actively tries to squirm out of your arms and throw himself on the floor, he also tries to squirm out of your arms to go play, unfortunetly his little 9 month old head doesn't know he can't walk, but he is trying to pull up on things, and roll to get what he wants, and get on all fours(almost)
what can a mom say about all this development?
oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit......I'm in trouble! This kid is gonna be the death of me!

6) Dave finally got me BonJovi tickets for my birthday! So on my 32nd birthday i will be sitting in the nosebleed seats at a concert i have wanted to go to for the last 15 years (give or take)
we are also planning on spending the night in the city for a little "alone" time! so excited!

thats the updates, i have other stuff to write about floating around my head, just need a minute to put fingers to keyboard.

camping, a photo essay

We went camping last weekend and I didn't have a chance to post pictures! So here they are

Ben playing with his toys in the fresh air!

Yeah I'm ugly, but it's camping people!

Stringing beads with Will in his fireman raincoat!

Daddy keeping Ben warm.

How sweet is this picture!

Getting the kiddo's to sleep, (that is will and my neice watching dora)

bike riding

love this pic of will!

funny story, my little guy noticed water coming out of the camper, so he plugged the drain and then came to tell us that he fixed it. This pic is showing daddy what exactly he fixed!

Ben and daddy

Will and mommy on the bounce pillow ( I love my hair in this one)

my little guys passed out on the way home from a great weekend!

the rabbit song

my bonnie lies over the ocean
my bonnie lies over the sea
my bonnie lies over the ocean
oh bring back my bonnie to me...

bring back, bring back, bring back my bonnie to me, to me
bring back, bring back, bring back my bonnie to me...

When I was a little girl my mom would sing this to me, and I would imagine a woman floating in the water (nothing was wrong with her, just peaceful) and a man on a huge cliff watching her float away.

I started singing this to Will when he was little, it's very calm and long enough to not be boring.
The other day I was rocking him at bedtime and I asked him what he wanted me to sing.
He told me to sing the rabbit song. I had to stop and ask him what he meant, I don't know any rabbit songs. He said "yeah mommy, and started singing, "my rabbit, I mean my bunny lies over the ocean....." I still sing that song but now I giggle a little to myself when I do.

here's a link if your not familiar with the song:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bonnie_Lies_over_the_Ocean

well if that's the way he hears it...

Sitting here catching up on blogs while Will watches Caillou, he tries to sing the theme song, but doesn't really know it. It's all very cute until Caillou sings-"my world is turning changing each day, with mommy and daddy I'm finding my way!" Will sings "Daddy is blocking my way."

Dave and I crack up on the couch.....