On the verge

I-guy is all better from his cold, Super-E got sick a couple of nights ago and has been sleeping with me, Ry-Daddy started feeling bad yesterday and is sleeping in the spare bedroom, and now I feel that I am on the verge of getting it too!! It's been a snot-filled past couple of days and I forgot to buy tissue at the store today!!
You can tell that I-guy is feeling much better because he has discovered that he likes running through the curtains. Of course, we don't like him to do this because he could 1) hurt himself and 2) rip the curtains down. He knows this, so he only does it when he thinks we aren't looking. We were able to get this picture by pretending that we were busy talking. He's a sneaky guy. He's a very brave little fellow too. Much more of a climber than Super-E was. He climbs onto Super-E's bed, onto the couch, anywhere he can hike up his little leg up and grab hold of something to yank himself up. A monster I tell you! And if you so much as slightly raise your voice to him, the lip hangs down and he'll give you the saddest cry you ever heard.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. It looks like we may have a rainy one.

A very nice visit!

We had a very nice visit with Mike & Miya. The weather turned on us a little which is a good thing because it was starting to get humid, sticky and heavy! Ugh! We had no problem getting their RV in the driveway. We had Subey (the car) in the garage and the sub-hog(suburban) parked to the left of the basketball post in the grassy area. Super-E thought they brought the RV for his own play-house pleasure!Auntie Miya read stories, played hide-the-ball, and pretend driving in the RV and Uncle Mike brought his remote-control truck, so Super E had a fine time and didn't want to see them go.

I-guy is wearing the cutest little hat that Mike & Miya brought for him. He actually wears it for more than 10 minutes at a time. He's also feeling much better today.
Thanks Mike & Miya for coming all the way to the Big D! We loved having you here!!

In a bucket

Yesterday we left I-guy in the living room playing with a cake lid/bucket-like bowl. Came back to find this!!! Funny and talented!

Mike & Miya are here in Dallas visiting us. Ethan is having a grand time with Auntie Miya. Today Ryan is giving them the grand tour of the library. I'm stuck here with the kids (just kidding). We might go out later to show them the rest of the BIG D, maybe not. I-guy has a runny nose and isn't feeling too well. Poor guy.

Careworn

Careworn is when your hubby is away in NYC and you are alone with the kids all day with no relief. And you realize that with out this man you'd be a pile of mush because he does so much. Even though he is only away for one night and two days you miss him because he makes life better, easier, happier, funnier.

Careworn is being tired and unable to sleep through a long night of thunderstorms and worrying that the kids will wake and be scared. They don't -they just sleep.

Careworn is tirelessly keeping your home clean and then watching it become a disaster zone within minutes.

Careworn is having to laugh when your child says embarrasing things to strangers.

Careworn is watching your children change right before your very eyes- growing taller, walking, talking, learning- and not wanting to miss a single second.

Careworn is being too tired to play and watching yourself grow old- new grey hairs, saggy boobs, wrinkles, achy back & legs.

Careworn is loving your family so much that is makes your heart, soul, body and head ache. It makes you want to cover them up like a steel blanket to protect them forever. But you just gently hold their hands and guide them with love the best you can. Always wanting to let them be free, enjoy and experience life- having them know that you are always within arms reach.

Careworn is worrying, loving, growing, learning. It can wear you thin. But every second, every smile, every tear, every laugh - it's all worth it!

Mama Says Om

He says the funniest things!!!

Those of you lucky folk who know my little Super-E know what a friendly chap he is. Sooooo talkative and energetic! Where he gets this from we do not know. Here are a couple of stories to tickle your funny bone.

STORY # 1
We went to Whole Foods Market yesterday and here is the conversation that Super-E had with the cashier (who was wearing a wrist splint)

E: Is that an owie? (pointing to her wrist)
Cashier: Oh, yes it is.
E: How did you get it?
Cashier: Um, I think I fell down (obviously wanting to give a simple answer)
E: I have 2 owies on my knees. (shows her his knees with a scrape and a bruise)
Cashier: oh I have a bruise on my knee too (she shows him her knee)
E: How did you get that?
cashier: I probably fell down.
E: Well, you should be more careful!
Cashier: So should you.
E: Yeah but I'm a little kid.

The cashier looks at me laughing and says, "You've got yourself a regular wise-guy on your hands!"

Yep, I sure do!

STORY # 2
This happened today at dinner. Ethan is always saying "huh?" when we are telling him or asking him something. Ry-daddy gets a real kick out of this and will teasingly say "huh?" back repeatedly. Today Ethan was getting a little frustrated with this type of tom-foolery and replied in a very loud voice:

"Sometimes I say huh because I can't hear you and other times I say it because I don't understand what the heck you are talking about!!"

Well, there you have it. Our little funny guy.


I have been trying to write down funny little things that Ethan has said because everyone knows that the human brain grows holes in it as you age and things, like memories, fall out and get lost. I'd like to remember these funny things by posting about them so they don't get lost. Unfortunately, I can't find the paper I had been jotting down his funny stories on. So if you have a funny memory of Super-E saying something cute and/or funny please leave a comment to help us remember. (note- comments will not automatically appear. I have set it up so that I have to moderate the comment first. Trying to keep spam and weirdos off my blog!!) Thank you for participating!!

Hugs & Kisses.

Some Cuteness

We made soft pretzels today. They were super-duper yummy. Super-E rolled and shaped several himself (the ones on his plate). Here he is having a little snack break (pretzel knots and a strawberry smoothie) and he's reading his animal book. He's so sweet and cute! After his snack he decided he wanted to play by himself in the spare bedroom with his puzzles and light bright. After a little while I went in there to see how he was doing and he was passed out- sleeping on top of his puzzles with his legs hanging off the bed. He slept for an hour!

Well, I've been watching Honey We're Killing the Kids, and I have to say that I'm not very impressed and here's why: 1)no one can change their eating and lifestyle in only 3 weeks, 2)the nutritionist doctor is not very likeable, and 3)the rules are pretty harsh and impractical. Big changes take time, effort and little baby steps. Starting with harsh rules only seems to meet huge resistance. Another thing is they never explain why their eating and lifestyle is unhealthy. Sure, most people know that eating high fat, sugary meals and not exercising is bad for you but WHY exactly. It seems like it's losing a big opportunity to teach why these foods are really bad for you. I don't think I'll be watching that show again. It was a good try though.

Lastly, has anyone seen Wallace and Gromit's Curse of the Were-Rabbit? I think it's is the best children's movie I've seen in a long time!! Super E watched it at least 5 times over the weekend and he's still talking about it. There is some great and very sudtle adult humor. Wallace and Gromit are in the business of humanely ridding gardens of veggie loving rabbits. Wallace finds himself in a heap of trouble when he starts messing with the bunny's heads. I loved that Gromit (the dog) puts Wallace on a veg diet because he eats too much cheese! It's really great- You've gotta see it if you haven't already!

A funny bunny-dog day

We hid eggs in the yard today with a bunch of wonderful gifts from memaw & pepaw (thank you!!!) then headed out to the Pooch Parade. We saw lots of funny little pups with their owners all dressed up in festive attire. We even saw a guy wearing a very large hat covered with Peeps! You can see these pictures here. My guys had a fabulous time despite the 95degree weather.

Egg Hunting

We went to an Easter Egg Hunt out in Denton, TX. A little bit of a drive for us, but we needed to get out of the house for the day for house showings.

Here are the eggs (hundreds of them!)
Is this an egg hunt or an egg pick up?

Ready....set.......GO!!!!!!

Get the plastic eggs with the stuff in them E!!!!

I-guy wants to get eggs and candy too!

WHOOOO-HOOOOO!

Look at all the eggs I got!!!
(he actually got a lot more than this, but we threw a bunch of them back)

Say Hi to the Easter Bunny!!

Stopping a while to smell the flowers.

Once Super E realized how disgusting the candy was that he found (those sugary gross candy eggs), he opted for a nice juicy apple and a yummy granola bar! What a good guy!!

Our House

Our house has been for sale for 3 weeks now. Almost everyone who has come to see it has loved it. Unfortunately not enough to buy it! Well, it's only been 3 weeks so we will patiently wait to see what happens. Here is a little picture tour of our home so that we will always remember how everything was BIGGER in Texas!

The front: getting nice and green

The Living Room

The Dining Room

The Kitchen

The Master Bedroom










The Spare Bedroom

Here is an old picture of the boy's room in case you haven't seen it already.

And the craft/office room.

So there it is. A few people are scheduled to see the house this weekend so we will keep our fingers crossed.

No soccer games this weekend, so we are going out and about hunting for eggs and we'll be going the Pooch Parade on Sunday! Woo-hoo!!!

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone!!

Just a few pictures

Back to semi-normal

The show was filmed on Saturday and it was exhausting. They were able to film E & I a little and I'm really hoping that they don't edit them out. It was a super long day and I'm glad it's all over. Now we just have to wait for it to air. I have a number to call at the beginning of SEPTEMBER, to find out when the show will air.

Yesterday Super E had a soccer game and he did a super job. The weather was great so it was a nice and enjoyable afternoon. I-guy stayed home napping while Ry-daddy worked on house stuff.

A nice and quiet day. Just what we needed

On a side note: TLC has a show on tonight called Honey We're Killing the Kids.

Beginning Monday, April 10 9/8c, TLC will transform the lives of 13 families across the nation in the groundbreaking new series, Honey We're Killing the Kids! In each family, the children’s eating habits have spiraled out of control into a diet of nonstop junk food – sugar, snacks, processed food– and huge, oversized portions. Coupled with a lack of exercise and sleep, this lifestyle means the kids are not only hyper and unruly, they are at serious risk of becoming overweight and developing high-blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

They will be doing a state-of-the-art computer imaging to see what these children will look like in 40 years if they continue bad eating habits. It sounds like it's right up my alley. So if anyone needs a better understanding of why I am so "freaky" about what my children eat, then you should watch this tonight!! This same episode will air several times this week, so if tonight is no good check out the schedule here.

Big News

First, the house is officially up for sale today!! I thought we'd never get to this point, but we are finally here. Our agent is sure that we will sell it no problem. I hope she is right.

Secondly, for those of you that don't already know, I have been selected to be on the show That's Clever on HGTV!!!!!!!!!!! If you have never seen the show, it features crafters across the country and shows them making something crafty. I am very excited, nervous and very stressed. So between cleaning house, chasing the kids, coming and going, I will also be trying to prepare for the big shoot. They will be coming in 2 weeks!!!!! So, unfortunately, I will be unable to post very much during this time.

I will post more pictures of the boys as soon as the craziness lets up.

A little side note: Isaak is walking full force now- getting into everything that he can!! Not very helpful when you are trying to keep the house perfectly clean!! He's so cute though, how can I get upset!

What a cute little guy!!

Watching Daddy outside.

How could you not want to take a big bite out of these legs and nibble on those little toes!!!! YUMMMMM!

A wishlist for E & I

I made a "wishlist" link in the sidebar to the left (just under the flickr pictures) so that everyone could see the things that Super-E has been asking for, books that we don't have- but would like, toys that I-guy might like, etc. It's just a rough list to remind myself of things that we like and also for those special occasions when everyone is asking me for gift ideas. Love & hugs!!

My Super Hero

A super cape for my super E. I made E this cape so that he could run around and be SUPER! He says that he helps people and animals that are in trouble. No prompting from me- I swear! He's just that kind of guy. He has his super goggles on too. They help him see Sinah and Kerafy better (his imaginary friends). Does that mean he can sing things that aren't really there better? Hmmm.

Anyway, he's been zooming around the house all day with his super cape on. You can see bigger versions of these pictures here. And you can see how I made his cape here.

A sleepy boy

This is what happens when a certain boy insists that he does NOT need a nap when a certain mommy knows that he is very very tired. This happens after a long morning of "shop" where we put price stickers on lots of toys and then buy them with fake money. Then we play on v-smile for a long time and then do activity books. He asked me for a tortilla while I was folding laundry and when I walked by, 5 minutes later, he was asleep!!! Ohhhhh! Isn't he just so sweet.

I-guy had his one year wellness appt. today. He's doing great! Here are his stats:

ht. 31 1/4 inches- 90th percentile
wt. 25 lbs- 80th percentile
head circumference: 47.8 cm- 90th percentile

Yep, He's still a big boy. No weight gain in the past three months, but it's probably because he's very active and he's been sick twice in the last month.

More stuff about I-guy at his one year mark:
1) not walking yet but making attempts on his own.
2) has seven teeth now!
3) says kitty, mama, & dada.
4) nods yes and no when you ask him questions,
5) he loves music.
6) he loves to dance.
7) he knows where his nose and teeth are.
8) still breastfeeding 3-4 times every day.
9) he likes to climb.
10) he'll eat just about anything you give him,
11) he's been sleeping through the night, and
12) he'll give you kisses and smiles whenever you ask!!

A Sick Birthday Boy

This week was I-guy's 1st birthday. But he was not a happy fellow. He was a very sick little dude- congested, fevers. I've been sick too which hasn't made matters any better. This picture was taken on his actual birthday. Note the droopy eyes and sad expression. Just not in the party mood. The next day he seemed to be feeling better so we went ahead with our party plans. It was just the four of us, but I-guy had a fantastic time. He ate his favorite dinner of avocado pieces and Spanish rice. Then he dove right in to his Incredible Vegan Carrot Cake with Vegan cream cheese frosting. See it here. Very very yummy! Here are some highlight shots of the evening.

Brothers
(Doesn't E look like such a big brother!?!)

Oh- What's this? Incredible vegan carrot cake just for me?
(I-guy looks fancy with his party crown and brand new bib that mommy made)

Yeah!! This is so fun!!

Mmmmmmmm!
I can't breathe through my nose, but that's not gonna stop me!!

This is so good I think I'll lick the bottom of the plate!!
(most of the cake is really on the floor)

Okay! Party's OVER!!