O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D!

This might be an understatement. The house is coming along. But little thanks goes to me. My mom, Martin, Jeff, and Marty have been busting their butts and we may get to move in some day... Possibly before school starts back up. No really, our unofficial move in date is the weekend of our anniversary/Father's Day. Happy Father's Day Hun- now carry some more crap to the new house...

Why haven't I been much help u ask? Well, DIARRHEA is her name-o. We have had the ever so lovely stomach flu here at our residence (still on Front Street)... Called the nurse's line on Monday only to be told- the diarrhea is lasting up to two weeks! OMG I can't take it any longer. And then just as I think Graham is over it, Lana gets it.

Did I mention the pile up of housework, that I would really rather not do, because we will soon be moving. Who needs to dust, clean sinks, floors, counter tops, bath tubs, and showers when u know u will just have to come back once everything is out and DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. OH YEA and there is the cleaning to be done before we move in the new house. SOMEONE SHOOT ME PLEASE!

My momma has her knee surgery tomorrow, so there goes that free labor. :) She has been a Godsend and I will be lost trying to get crap done without her. But life will go on and the house will get done.

Look for your invitations to an Open House/Cookout when we get all settled, probably not until later in July.

oh where oh where has that sippy cup gone?

I can say with quite a bit of confidence that I am not the first parent to have a sippy cup go MIA. Graham has a favorite one by Gerber with ABC's on it and I was sure for weeks that it was at my moms. (Although I tease her regularly, she really is pretty good at returning them) It wasn't until I cleaned out my atrociously dirty, disgusting, trash can, catch all of a car that I discovered his favorite sippy cup under the drivers seat and opened it with great care only to be horrified to find the last drink it contained was... Drum roll... Yep, you guessed it- milk! Gross, nasty, yucky, smelly- in the trash it went.

Several times in the past few months since both Graham and Lana have been on a sippy cup regularly- I have found them to go missing in the middle of the day, when we haven't left home and I only have 4 rooms in this apartment and two stayed closed all day! Hmmmmm... Check the fisher price dryer: nope, check the play kitchen cabinets: nope, check the real kitchen cupboards and drawers, only a limited amount of them don't have locks: nope, check under couches and chairs: nope, check in the closet and under the beds in Graham's room: nope! Where in the world can the darn sippy cup be? Fast forward to the kids getting up from their naps, have one getting changed the other wandering around in the living room, next thing I know they have the sippy cup again! Amazing! They should put these guys on CSI to find criminals! Its ridiculous! And exhausting. Most days I would rather just find the nasty, dirty, stinky cup days later and throw it out and buy new because the hunt is so frustrating!


If its not sippy cups; its socks in the laundry! Or a missing shoe, or coat, or "stinkie"...

Ms. Lana Mae Roberts' lesson on Animal Noises

Lana: "BOOK" "RAWWWWWWWWWRRRRRR"
Me: "Bear Book"
Lana: "yea" "mmmeeeeeeeooowww"
Me: "cat"
Lana: "mnnneeeiooohhh"
Me: (a little confused between cow and horse) "Horse..."
Lana: "NO COW"
Me: "sorry!"
Lana:"doodle doo"
Me: "rooster"
Lana: "woof woof" (pants after that)
Me: "dog"

Other Lana tidbits over the week

"tttteeeeeveeeeeee"
"Read book now"
"Yoook at this"
"I want..."
"Open this"
"milk juice"
"bye-bye eat eat" (waving and blowing kisses to her highchair)

Wow this child is so genius!

Today in Pictures...

Yes, I am aware I have posted 3 times today! It was a GRRRREAT DAY what can I say??

I had some kids over to play today and here is what happened.

It started out a nice day, we had "octopus" hot dogs and mac n cheese for lunch. ***Side note**** Graham said "HOT DOG" (more like "dot dog") for the first time today!

We decided the plan was:

park,

painting,

play dough (big kids only)...

in that order.

You tell me what you think was the most fun part of the day...

Thank you Mom/Grandma Kate for the idea and the help cleaning up! It was a FUN FUN FUN DAY!

"Stinkies"

Graham has many "security animals" now dubbed "stinkies" by his mama.

I thought I was so clever getting rid of the paci only 3 months after he got it. I was not going to be one of those mama's dragging around a 3 year old with a paci. His auntie Mary B had given him a "deflated dog" before he was born. Think Beanie Baby with no beans. He latched onto it at some point, I can't remember when...

His Gma's then "needed" animals at their houses.

His Gma Rebbec found deflated frogs (his nursery is in frogs) and his Gma Mueninghoff had a cat or bear.

We also bought a newer blue bear mini blankie with just the bear head.

Somewhere along the way his Gma Rebbec found another frog blankie with just frog head and arms.

I was in Bergners with him one day and he was getting antsy in his stroller when we strolled by some dogs blankies. Of course I had forgotten his "animal of the day" in the car and he "HAD" to have this one. The dang thing was 25 bucks! Good thing Mommy remembered her coupon for 10 bucks off or he woulda been disappointed that day.

Why "stinkies" you ask? All of these random animals have replaced the paci momma insisted on taking away. So now instead of a paci at 3 years old he will be more like a hobo with animals clipped all over him for him to suck/chew on. I sometimes call them chewies when they are clean. Which is rarely because 5 minutes out of the wash and he has smelled them all up again. And yes, the child brushes his teeth, dont ask me how they get so smelly but they do and it's gross!

He has also latched onto one of his blankies he got from Aunt Tiff. Apparently the texture was always her kids' favorites and now it is Grahammy's too! He buries his head in it and giggles and sighs. Too cute!

Which reminds me- NOTE TO SELF- DO NOT ever again attempt to wash all "stinkies" at one time! This results in a very cranky mad at mommy little boy who screams until the wash is done and u have to give him a wet frog, dog or bear to chew on while the rest go in the dryer...

Today he has around 8 or so "stinkies" in his crib and scattered throughout the house. I almost always keep one in the diaper bag or my purse. Both gma's are in possesion of at least one to keep at their house. Did I mention that these "stinkies" have to come out of his crib with him when he gets up and all go back in when he goes to nap. It's a job I tell ya!

And now of course Lana has decided she needs security animals too. So she HAS TO HAVE a baby, bunny, and CAT in her bed and it also comes out with her and back in.

Whew! Just thinking about it makes me tired! But I have to admit, I still have the blankie I stole from my granny when I was 4! :) <3<3<3<3<3

Random Thoughts of the Day

I wonder sometimes if the person who invented Crocs did so because he didn't have any clean socks... I know that's when we use ours in this household.

Graham and Lana really do love each other. I took a picture of it the other day. It's on my blackberry so I will have to figure out how to transfer to here. (DONE!!!) But anywho, I saw it! They hugged and kissed. Then the shoved each other to the floor! Haha. That's what cousins are for right?

I host play dates here. I am not sure why some times. I hate cleaning before and after but it gives me time with other mamas and that makes me happy so I guess a living room that looks like a tornado went through it is worth it!

That reminds me, in about a month when I host play dates, I will be doing so in OUR NEW HOUSE! And we will have a separate room just for those tornadoes! So I can leave the mess til daddy gets home if I want!

I am still taking donations for the NEW HOUSE FUND! Haven't recieved any so far! One guy (Brian- Heather's husband) even called us rich because we are buying a new house. He was kidding of course but How could any one who has bought a house think that that means you are rich! Just the opposite my friend. We are emptying out too many accounts to even speak about it! Let's just say Graham better get good grades in school so he gets a scholarship to college. He owes us that much doesn't he after buying him a house???

I made dinner for the whole family again last night. It was Cinco De Mayo and our last night of Can Do Kids til fall- so we had a celebration dinner! I made tacos and enchiladas and Nachos! The kids and adults were delighted. I am always amazed how many I can feed on a buck at home as opposed to going out. Our whole dinner was made for around 75 bucks. That sounds steep but I froze some, we have leftovers, all after feeding 10 people! Not bad if I do say so myself!

Mom's pool new bigger and better pool is up and will be warm by this weekend. I am overly excited because this body is not swim suit worthy but the babies love to swim and I hate to deprive them of that just because I haven't been watching what I eat! So here I feel comfortable in a swim suit and it's big enough for us all!

Speaking of my voluptuous body- I have found myself wishing to be pregnant this month just so I can justify the 6 extra pounds I have put one. And yes, we are trying. Quietly and confidently! :)

As I am blogging, the kids are within sight down the hall in the living room, the stinkers just decided to knock the fence down that is in front of my shelves with "pretties" on it and the TV. They just wanted to turn Elmo on and DID! The little smart things!

Better go keep a closer eye on them. Meaning, I will be laying on the floor as the clobber me.

CLOSING TIME!

Nope not talking about the "one last call for alcohol", I am talking about our NEW HOUSE!!!!

We close on May 14th! Two weeks early at the request of the sellers. No reason not to, so we agreed!

Last night we made a list of the "stuff" we have to get done before we move in and the "stuff" that can or will have to wait until we are in and have more cash flow! ;)

I am excited to paint and decorate and make it our own. Right now the living room has quite possibly the most horrendous wall paper I have ever seen and there is a painted on rose vine throughout the house in random places. It is UGLY!!! So I have chosen some nice new paint colors with the help of Tiff, Mom and Patti and we will be painting every room in the house before we move in! YAY! Also getting painted are the dark cabinets in our tiny kitchen. Because everyone knows painting them a lighter color will open it up!
Graham's room will be a light blue with a green stripe all the way around it
Our bedroom is going to be a tanish/brown color I think.
The kitchen and living room will be two shades of "celery" green.
The downstairs family/day care room- is getting a coat of a very happy yellow and eventually some Dr. Suess character stencils on the walls.
The bathrooms I haven't thought about yet!
Also have two more bedrooms to think about as well!
Any suggestions anyone????

There will be a big 'ol cookout house warming party when we are all settled. I am thinking July at least. :) Keep ya posted on all the "work" going on as it happens! Thanks for all the well wishes!

Fall Down and Go Boom!

Yesterday we were all gathered at my mom's house. My step-dad's family was here from all over for the funeral today. The kids were behaving and having a good time. Graham decided to sweep, one of his favorite past times... He had his broom, and was sweeping away on grandma's front porch, with at least a dozen adults all around. He got a little too close to the stairs, tripped and rolled down the stairs hitting his head on each one. That sound of his head coming into contact with the concrete made me almost puke! I was screaming and crying right along with him. We scooped him up and he calmed down within 10 minutes but I am still shaken by it. His head just has some bad scrapes and a little bruising but he is fine. But Man, does a fall like that scare mommy half to death!!!!