This Post Will Not Be For Everyone

I started this Blog as a way to let my family and friends keep up with what my little guys are doing.  I often don't have much to say, so I don't feel compelled to keep it up.
I realized I had not really updated my family with what my kids are really up to.  They have changed so much since last year when my sisters got to see them in person.  In fact they have changed so dramatically since March which is the last time my parents have seen them, that I am not sure they would recognize them.


This post will be me being VERY self indulgent.  It will be all about how awesome my kids are :0)  I am going to talk about how smart they are, how cute they are, and all around just how unbelievable they are.


SO, if you have no interest in knowing that stuff-just skip this one...I won't mind.  This is by no means me saying my kids are better, smarter...ok well maybe I am just a bit...but honestly this is not meant to compare to anyone else's lovely children.  I think all kids are amazing in their own little way.  


In fact I absolutely try NOT to brag about my kids.  I am well aware that somewhere there are children who are smarter, cuter, and more athletic.  To me though, my kids are the best and you can't tell me otherwise!


Check back if you are through reading now...I won't have posts like this all the time!  I am going to try to do this linearly, but I am not sure that it will work out that way so bear with me.  Thanks


My Moo-  Where to start Ryan is  so great.  He is my builder/engineer already.

• He loves to have a "Project" and when he is done he will stand back and look at it and say "Ahhh, finished" and then will play with it.
• His balance is amazing for such a little guy. He already stands on one foot and goes like a mad man on his balance bike.  He has been skipping, jumping and hopping since before he was two.
• He also loves to do somersaults.
• He doesn't like to do things until he can do them all the way right.  For example; yesterday he sang the entire Rock A Bye Baby song for me.  I did not even know he knew any of the words AND he has never sang a single song to me before that.
• He knows all of the alphabet by site and he will sing parts of the song..but again that falls under not until I know the whole thing I am sure.  
• He knows all of his numbers 1-10 except he gets tripped up by Seven.  Six and nine are still in negotiations but he knows them as well.  He will count to eight but not if you are paying attention to him.  I think he can go further, but I can't prove it :P
• He has a great vocabulary.  Last week his favorite thing to say was "Maybe..."  This week everything is "So Cool"
• He is amazing and caring to his sister..when he is not pushing her down (eyes rolling here)  If she is crying and he did not cause it he will come and rub her back and give her a kiss.  Now if he caused the crying forget it!!
• He has an amazing sense of humor.  Next time you see him ask him about being a grouch.  You will be asked for "Mud...True Mud"  followed by "I NEED mud!"  and if you are not aware of this, you need to watch more Sesame Street.  They do a parody of True Blood that is hysterical and he will pretty much do the whole shtick.
• On second thought..don't bother asking.  He most likely won't talk to you.  The kid is an introvert.  If he is comfortable with you, he will talk your ear off.  If he isn't feeling you, forget it.  You will wonder if I should take him in for testing to make sure he is developing ok.
• He loves tools and trucks and knows all the different types and what they are used for.  If that boy had a tool chest he would be in hog heaven!
• His memory is impeccable.  He knows the way to many different places and if you are going one way and it is not toward where he wants to be going he will tell you "No Mommy!!  We need to go this way"
• He is a good cook.  He loves to help me cook in the kitchen.  He will even try new things as long as he cooked them.  He will put it in his mouth and say "MMMMM good" as he makes a face like he is going to throw up!  (mostly due to the texture)
• He potty trained in about a month, day and night, at about 25mo
• He has a great imagination.  He can play trains for hours and have all sorts of things happen including one train saving another from something bad, like falling off the track.

There is so much more and this is just the stuff off the top of my head.  I am sure Mike will read this and and will add stuff if I forgot it in the comments.

Miss Bean- Elise...Oh My God, this girl is crazy!  She is crazy smart, crazy happy, crazy opinionated, just crazy over the top about everything.  My God is she happy!  If it wouldn't be for her brother trying to beat her up the girl would never cry...unless she is not getting her way of course!!  Then they hear her scream down the street!!  I think she seems the most different because she is at that age when so much changes.

• She is talking in sentences already.  Her favorites right now are "What's this say?" "Milk in there?"  "What's that sound/noise?" It goes on and on.  
• She is learning her letters and numbers.  When she sees writing on something she points and says "ABC's"  She can recognize some letters like A and E, but this is still earlier than Ryan did.  I think he had the alphabet figured out at 19or 20mo.
• She does somersaults too!  She did her first at 15mo so I might have a little gymnast on my hands.
• She can climb anything and everything.  Is this such a good thing??  I think not but she is still amazingly athletic and I guess that has to just go with it
• She is the most loving child ever.  I am convinced it is because she insisted on being held for the first..wait a minute, she still insists on being held (eyes rolling again here)
• Her exuberance and zeal are unmatched....did  I already mention the girl is happy??  As much as Ry is an introvert, this girl is extrovert. 
• One of her favorite things is to be the welcoming committee any place we are.  I keep telling Mike she will be our Dr.  He keeps telling me she has too much personality for that and the truth is he is right.  This girl will definitely do well in an outgoing career.
• She too is a blooming engineer though.  She is just as interested in how things work as Ryan is
• She is a dirt girl which makes her mother infinitely happy!  The girl loves to help us work outside and garden YAY!! 
• She loves to golf and ride bikes just like Ryan.
• Actually let's just say she likes to do Anything  Ryan is doing sometimes to his pleasure, a lot of the times to his displeasure.
• She too prefers to go on the potty, but mommy isn't always good about getting her there right away.  I think if I would commit to it she would be potty trained sooner than later.  I'm just not ready to put in the time just yet.  

So right now that is all I can think of to give you a snap shot of what we are up to.  If I think of anything else I will add it.

I really just can't believe most days that I have such amazing kids.  I can see the people they are going to grow to be and it is just an amazing journey to be a part of.  I am lucky that these are my children.  I pray to God daily and thank him for all he has blessed me with because I truly am blessed.  

I feel he made the last two years kind of hard so I can now appreciate what I have.  I somehow made it through 2009 and 2010 with about an ounce of sanity, but I can still say I have some sanity, so I guess that is all I can ask for.

Thanks again for indulging me.  I love these kids so much and I am just so proud of who they are as people.

It's been a long time and I am feeling chatty

So much has changed since I last checked in...I honestly don't think I have the time to catch up!


It was funny because today I was asked by my very pregnant neighbor for some advice and was given a post card to write it on.  I thought to myself, there is just not NEARLY enough space to share all the things I have learned over the last two years of being a mom.  Obviously she doesn't want to hear it all, but it got me to thinking...what have I learned and what advice do I have to give?  So here it goes, thought I would jot it all down here to share with everyone...maybe if you are willing you can share some back in the comments...I always feel like learning something new that I don't know :0)

• Children are amazing!  I know we all know that, but there is honestly no way to explain it fully until you have experienced it.  They grow and learn at an astronomical pace that would leave my brain turned to complete mush, yet they do it with a giggle and a smile.
• Babies can have health issues and it SUCKS!!!  No one tells you that even though you have a healthy baby you may spend the next few months trying to figure out why they are in so much pain and why they are crying so much and why you can't just make it all better.  If this happens to you-call, write, or text me...I most likely have a solution seeing as though I have been blessed not once, but twice with babies who are miserable!

• Onesies can go on from the bottom up...wish someone would have told that to me with #1.  Took me until #2 to figure that out...explosive poo is much easier to deal with when all you have to do is pull the dumb thing down over their shoulders instead of running poo up their back..duh!!
• If you happen to be blessed with diaper rash...skip the wipes and just run their bottom under running water and use your hand to clean them off.  The mix of the chemicals in wipes and the abrasive nature of wiping will make it worse instantly!  After the clear water bidet of the baby sort, blot dry with a soft towel and you should be clear in a very short period of time. 
• A happy baby is a happy mom.  I know there is much discussion about getting enough "ME" time and I 100% agree with doing things for yourself. In this case I mean sometimes you need to take a step back and not do what you want to do but do what your child needs.  Let me give an example.  Ryan now being the big 2 year old he is sometimes gets a second wind and has a hard time falling asleep.  It is maddening!!  It in fact makes my blood boil and takes every ounce of restraint I have not to strangle the little bugger and pin him to the bed...but that just would not be nice...Instead I do a little of the deep breathing you have all learned so much about and then I sit on the floor next to his bed saying nothing while he giggles and sucks his paci.  I do not engage at all with him and in fact to keep myself from screaming "JUST GO TO SLEEP" I meditate.  After only about 10-15min he is dead out like a light!  Now I have tried many things  to get to this point.  Frequently it involved going in and out of his room and yelling "Sleep Now!!" which of course was fruitless.  Now you may be thinking I am off the point, but here it is...instead of getting back to what I wanted to be doing, I take the 10min to give him what he needs.  This in the end gets me what I need...a child who is cooperating, which in the end is all moms really want anyhow isn't it?
• I think it should be mandatory for all husbands/partners/family or anyone else who will be spending a lot of time with you after you have your baby, to be educated on Post Partum Depression.  I think right along with learning to breathe through labor, they should educated on signs and symptoms because my friends it is evil...way worse than you could ever imagine!  Sadly most women suffer in silence and their partners are clueless as to what is going on.  It is unfair to everyone involved to have to live through it without knowing it is happening to them.  I have found by the time you figure out you have it, it has been a long time since it started and there probably is already colateral damage.  Inform yourself ahead of time...it can rear its ugly head in many ugly ways.  And don't think you are less of a mom because you need help...in fact, if you are scared to get help because you don't want anyone to know you are struggling, then you really need help and that is ok.
• Having two babies in 12months is nuts!!!!  I don't think I have to go into detail there...but I would not have it any other way.
• Stay positive.  That is oh so hard, but like the old saying goes "You catch more flies with sugar than vinegar"  The same holds true with toddlers.  If you find yourself saying "No" or "Stop" or any other negative word more than you are saying anything else, chances are you have a child who will challenge you non-stop.  How would you like it if everything you touched or said was negated??  You would hate the world and lash out every chance you got too!!  You would mostly likely call your boss and F-ing jerk and vow to make his life hell!  Welcome to your toddlers world.  Is it really that bad if they drop their food on the floor for the 321st time?  Invite them to clean up with you and you will find a lot less things are spilled and if they are you will be pleasantly surprised when you hear "Mommy I need a cloth" and they wipe up their own milk spill.  I'm not talking about letting your child live Lord Of The Flies in your house, in fact I am as far from permissive as you could get.  Just change how you get them to do what you want.  I had many years training getting Surgeons to do what I wanted them to do with them thinking it was their idea, so I have a little practice.  If you need suggestions, I am more than willing to share, again..just ask me :o)

I could go on and on, but I think that is the important stuff...I'll let you know if I come up with anything else.

Oh yeah...Pampers rule and getting them from Amazon saves loads of money :o)