Tuesday 12. . . 24 Hours Later

1. The boys and I went for a walk today. With the double stroller. And three children. There aren't three seats in a double stroller, just FYI. David+Henry+Stroller = 117 pounds. Basically I felt like I was doing some sort of tackle football drill, pushing 117 pounds (in a double stroller with the turning radius of a school bus) around our neighborhood with a 15 pound weight (Jack) strapped to my chest. Sound fun?

2. We had pancakes for dinner tonight -- one of my favorite dinners.

3. Henry has gone two days straight with no potty accidents. He still won't poop on the potty, but I know that takes time. He does, however, give VERY clear clues when he needs a pull-up!

4. The big boys still have a monitor in their room. Right, that's because I lock them in there with a doorknob cover at night. The havoc that would happen in my house is not worth removing the cover at this point. However, the two baby monitors we've got interfere with each other, and I can't move Jack to his room without a monitor for him. The days of the doorknob cover are almost over. We'll have to get an extra tall baby gate for the end of their bedroom hallway so David can use the potty at night, and I'll move the monitor to Jack's room. We've considered getting a new monitor with two transmitters and one receiver, but the only one I can find is a video moniter. I'd much rather pay $65ish for the gate than $200ish for the monitor we'll need for a short time.

5. I'm thinking about trying some carob recipes for Henry, since he can't eat chocolate. Will that just confuse him though? Perhaps I should just leave it alone, since it doesn't seem to bother him at all that he can't eat it.

6. I'm dying to see the Cynthia Rowley madras stuff at Target, but I've not gotten there yet. Maybe tomorrow. I hope it's at our Target. And that someone hasn't already purchased it all!!

7. I'm trying to wean Jack from sleeping in his carseat to sleeping in his bed. He does great for naps. Not so great at night. It's not an option tonight, as he threw up all over the straps of his carseat. I wouldn't let him sleep in a bed that smelled like vomit, so he's not sleeping in his seat.

8. Henry has recently learned how to ride his bicycle with training wheels. He's not learned how to use the brakes though. . . he thinks if he lifts his feet off the pedals and sticks them out to the side that he's "stopping". Um, maybe on your face! He's also not really learned that he needs to watch where he's going. He goes about 98 miles an hour around a corner looking off to the side. I predict a broken bone by the end of the summer. I think he's fallen more in the last few days than David has in his life. He keeps getting back on though, and I'm proud of him for that.

9. David and Henry are seriously bucking my Simpson Family Eating Well plan (SFEWP). . . I was eating a spinach concoction yesterday and Henry said, "What you eating?" I told him it was spinach with cheese and asked if he wanted some. He SCREAMED, "NO! I WANT A BIG BOWL OF. . . OF. . . A BIG BOWL OF CANDY!" All David wants to eat is waffles, pancakes, applesauce, Annie's grahamn bunnies, popscicles, fruit snacks, string cheese, popcorn and frosting. WTF? And all Henry wants to eat is fruit bars, candy, popscicles, cookies, and cereal. I'm so glad we're doing the SFEWP now, not when they're 12 and 13. I wouldn't have the strength then.

10. Chris got a crown today -- he now has a golden tooth! Aargh! Thankfully it's a molar. Not a front tooth. Yikes.

11. We're going to pick strawberries this weekend. Weather permitting. That should be interesting.

12. Does the laundry ever end? (And spell check isn't working, so if there are spelling mistakes, it's not because I didn't try to correct them!)

Hippie Kid

My sister and Jarrod made the boys some shirts over the weekend.
David wore his to school this morning and flashed a peace sign on his way out. I swear the child didn't have pot brownies for breakfast, although you'd never know it by the look on his face!

Henry the Painter

Henry wanted to paint this morning.

Funny, I just assumed he meant on paper.

Clearly I was wrong.

I forgot

We had Mexican last night for dinner. I brought my food to the table and David said, "You can eat wif me, but sit dere," and he pointed to the seat the furthest away from him. I asked why I couldn't sit next to him and he said, "Because a you food stinks. I don't wanna smell you stinky food." I cracked up and asked who he sits with at school for lunch. He thought for a minute and said, "Nobody. I sit awone. 'Cause a I don't wanna smell my friends wunch. All a dat smelling makes mine mouf wanna frow up." Seriously? I'm still laughing when I think about it. I know for a fact he doesn't sit alone, because I've eaten wunch, excuse me - lunch - at his school. And since when does he have the nose of a freaking blood hound??

50th Birthday

I'm thinking of disabling my Posh Cakes website. I get close to 100% of my cake orders by word of mouth and don't hand out business cards, and I'm very happy with the frequency of the cakes I'm doing. I can't see paying for webhosting if I don't want to generate business through it. I may start a blog for it, just to post the photos.

What's New

Um, OK. Nothing's new. I last updated on Thursday, so let's start with Friday. What did we do. . . ran some errands, paid my speeding ticket, and I think that's about it. The boys asked to go to the mall play area, but they took marathon naps so it didn't happen.

Saturday morning we took them and had lunch at the mall. That was a big treat for the boys, because we never do it. Such a big deal in fact that David said today when he got home from school, "Someday soon this week today can we eat pizza at the mall again?" After we played at the mall we walked around a bit, then went to Gigi's house to visit. We left there and checked out gazebo thingys for our patio. Since our tree blew over in October, we now have ZERO shade in the backyard. Hi, we live in Tennessee. It's hot here in the summer. Chris wasn't sold on one, but he is now. I suspect he'll be putting it together on Saturday if it's nice out. That will get him a free pass out of going to a birthday party with us! Saturday night we had a fire in our fire pit and the boys did some sparklers. They thought they were really cool. Chris and I put the boys to bed and ate our dinner outside. It was very nice, minus the serenade by one neighbor's barking dog and another's electronic bug zapper. Thus is life in suburbia.

I found a Craftsman style home online that I love, it has four bedrooms, and isn't outrageously expensive. http://nashville.craigslist.org/rfs/654412012.html However, it's not in my dream neighborhood. It's in an area that's undergoing a lot of, shall we say, revival? They're trying to gussy up the 'hood and make it nice. The houses are beautiful that have been renovated, but the turf is still a little tough. There our nighttime dinner serenade wouldn't be dogs and bug zappers -- it would be hookers and gun fire. As much as I would never go for moving somewhere our closest neighbors were not within sight (Chris' dream), he would never go for somewhere we could walk our children to school. Past the chop shop with the razor wire surrounding the fence on the opposite side of our block. We'll find our collective dream home -- I just think it will take a while.

Yesterday was a rare treat for me -- Chris took the big boys to his parents' house. For. The. Day. I was alone with just Jack from 10 until 5. It's amazing to me what I can get done when nobody else is here! I did a cake, vacuumed the house, cleaned out the boys' closets and dressers to get the clothes they've grown out of cleaned out, dusted the whole house, did laundry, washed the windows, cooked dinner, and enjoyed the quiet.

David I believe turned 14, not four. He's got the attitude of a teenager and the mouth of a trucker lately. Tonight when I told them they had 5 minutes until bed he said, "You're stupid Mama." I told him that was disrespectful, rude, and hurt my feelings and he was not allowed to speak to people that way. He said, "Well excuse me. You hurt my feelings when you scream at me." Touche. And I don't scream at him. I told him I would wash his mouth out with soap the next time he spoke to me in a disrespectful way. He said, "Do it. I fink it will taste good." I fink he'll probably find out tomorrow how it tastes.

All they've wanted to do lately is ride their bicycles or play board games. Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Candy Land, Don't Spill the Beans, Shoots and Ladders, and Hungry, Hungry, Hippos. Maybe you don't know this about me, but I love rules. DON'T BREAK THE FREAKING RULES WHEN YOU PLAY A GAME! Shoots and Ladders is the worst. I seriously get stressed out playing with them. Damn cheaters. Well, I don't have to worry about it for two days, because nobody would help me pick up the cherries from HHCO. All 40 of them. They "rained" in the living room. No games for two days. I think it will be worse for me than them.

Jack has started eating some food. I thought Jack would be more like David's body type than like Henry's, but I'm starting to potentially rethink that. He's a hog! I had to get a shot of his chubby legs. It's my favorite place to snack on him! I'll be very curious to see what his weight is at his next appointment.

Blurry, but funny.

The way we spend most of the day. Not always in the garage -- this was at 8:30 last night!

It's Thursday!

All is right in my universe. . . the weather was beautiful today (really nearly perfect) and we spent the day outside, David and Henry played nicely and didn't try to wander the neighborhood, I was able to lay on the blanket and play with Jack then *gasp* read a book while he napped and the big boys rode bikes. Tonight they ate the dinner I made and went to bed without arguing, even helping to clean up their toys without whining. And, perhaps most importantly, tonight is the return of Grey's Anatomy. Which brings me to the next thing. . .

My children have clearly forgotten that Thursday nights between 8 and 9 PM are NOT for making noise. I understand that Jack was not born when this rule was instituted, so I'll cut him some slack. For the three times he's started to cry in the last 49 minutes. Henry, he's another story. He needs to bust out his baby calendar and review. HELLO! It's 60 mere minutes! We need to practice for next week.

For Fun

1. Go to Photobucket (don't sign in)....I used flickr.
2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box
3. Use only the first image
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

Your first name

Your favorite color

Celebrity Crush

Favorite Disney Princess

Favorite Movie

Favorite Adult Beverage

Dream Vacation

Favorite Dessert

What I wanted to be When I Grew Up

Retirement Cake

For a man who works in a pharmacy . . .

Earth Day Tuesday 12

In honor of earth day, Twelve things we do as a family to be more earth friendly.

1. We've replaced our regular incandescant lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs to use less power and energy.

2. When we go shopping (grocery, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.) we bring reusable bags instead of using more plastic bags.

3. If we do end up with some plastic bags from the store, we re-use them for trash bags in our bathrooms and cars or we recycle them.

4. We recycle. A lot. It's amazing to me how much this simple process has cut down on our trash we generate. As a family of 5, we make a lot of trash! I would estimate recycling has cut it in half. And I'm a little crazy about it. I've been known, during family parties, to take recyclable things out of the trash can and to tell everyone, "Don't throw that out - we recycle!" We even recycle our junk mail!

5. We use only cold water to wash our clothes, saving energy. I bet I use the hot cycle twice a year, if that.

6. We only run the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer when we have full loads.

7. We buy approximately 75-80% of our produce either locally from farmer's markets or organically. I feel very strongly about this, as it supports our local economy, ensures my family is ingesting the smallest amounts of pesticides possible, and helps to sustain farming in our community.

8. We have a programmable thermostat set to adjust our heat and air at night or while we're gone to lower settings so we are using less energy while we sleep and are away. (But you know that air doesn't get adjusted much in the summer -- we like it chilly here!)

9. We don't purchase bottled water but instead use reusable bottles we've already got.

10. We've lowered the temperature of our water heater to 120 degrees.

11. We use cleaning products made from natural materials to limit the chemicals used in our home. It wasn't even hard for me to give up my Clorox Wipes, and I really thought it would be!!

12. We've opted out of any catalogs we received that we don't actually purchase from. And I LOVE some catalogs! I think we only get two or three now.

We certainly could improve buy doing things like using a low-flow shower head (in the works), using cloth diapers (gave it a shot -- no longer in the works!), and composting (in discussions). I think, however, we've made a good start!

Monday Monday!

I love, love, love a productive day. Especially a Monday! Some of the things I got accomplished today:

• David was clean, hair brushed, face washed, breakfast eaten, and dress and ready for school, lunch packed, bag and nap mat ready by the door 8 minutes early and without argument. That's huge!
• Jack was fed, bathed, dressed, and ready to go early also!
• Jack and I went to the Y this morning. Henry chose to stay home and *help* Chris clean the gutters. Clearly he hates the Y's guts. He kept saying, "YES! I want to go to the Ybrary!" Um, while I appreciate his love of reading and the library, I meant the YMCA. When I clarified that for him he clarified his hatred of the joint. And kept asking to go to the ybrary. All. Day. Long.
• Henry, Jack and I exchanged a birthday gift. He didn't know what exchange meant. He loves the word now. When we picked David up from school Henry wanted to know "what Dadid gonna chachange?"
• Dinner was prepped and ready to slide into the oven before I picked David up from school.
• I got my cake for tomorrow decorated before the boys were in bed, thereby leaving the entire night free!
• I didn't do anything fun with my free night. . . I folded two loads of laundry. And even put it away!
• I mopped the kitchen floor. Old school style on my hands and knees. Boy did it need it. That mop just doesn't get it clean enough. The first person to drop applesauce on it tomorrow is going to get it! (OK, so I'm all talk. . .)
• I played with Jack while David and Henry rode their bikes in the driveway. Jack is so animated now, reaching for, grabbing, and shaking his toys. Do you think Chris loves that Jack's favorite toy right now is a doll with all kinds of textures, shaking things, rattles, etc.? Notsomuch.
• I cleaned the kitchen. Really well. It needed it.
• I've made my very ambitious to-do list for tomorrow. I hope I get at least half of the things done!!

I'm definitely more productive throughout the day when I go to the gym in the morning. I won't be going tomorrow though because Henry has his 3 year check-up at the doctor. I've already warned him three times that she'll be looking into his ears. This simple task normally includes three people to hold him down and lots of snot and sweat. Seriously, just to check them. Imagine the fun when he has an ear infection. Thank the LAWD that's only happened once. I'm very curious to see what his weight and height are. David (last month at four years old) measured in at 43 inches tall and 43 pounds. I'm guessing Henry to be 41 inches tall and 44-45 pounds. I'm scared to see him at 4 years old -- he'll be signed up for preschool wrestling!!!!

Henry's Cake

Henry requested a lemon flavored Thomas cake for his birthday this year. . . here's what he got! There were four "sheds" on the bottom tier with fondant trains. Thankfully I got them close enough to the actual train faces and he knew who they were. I was nervous!

Happy Birthday Henry!

Yesterday was Henry's third birthday. I know every parent probably says this each year, but how on earth is he already three? When we found out we were going to have Henry, I was shocked. I didn't really grasp that I would have two children, literally, until after he was born. I remember being in the hospital thinking, this child is mine? When Henry was born, just less than 13 months after his older brother, I was so overwhelmed. I didn't know how on earth I would manage to take care of these two boys. My mom stayed with us for a month after he was born. When we brought her to the airport to fly home, I cried all the way back to my house.

Henry was a terrible sleeper when he was a newborn. I was totally unprepared for this, as David had been a fantastic sleeper from the start. Oddly enough it was this, the most difficult thing about having a second child, that was the best for my relationship with Henry. He would eat constantly and would wake in the night until he was 9 months old. NINE MONTHS! He was so cute and chubby, and such a happy baby. I distinctly remember being up feeding him one night and he gave me the most enormous smile. In my sleep deprived stupor, that was all I needed. I recall thinking, this child is MINE. This fabulous, sweet little boy is mine. And he truly is my boy -- we have such a special relationship. He's been my little buddy from the start.

At three years old, Henry is so different from his brothers. He is very sensitive and hates to get in trouble. He is certainly the most mischievous! He is curious about everything. If there is a button to be pushed, a lever to be moved, a handle to be pulled, or a string to untie Henry will find it. He is constantly moving and slows only to explore. He is fearless. Which has resulted in two trips to the emergency room already! (OK, perhaps the only thing he's afraid of is the emergency room!) He loves to tell knock knock jokes and makes his own up. Suffice to say, I don't see a stand up comedy career in his future. He's generous and willing to share with his brothers and friends. He's very empathetic and doesn't like for people to be upset. He is excited about everything -- there is nothing that Henry is afraid to try, to taste, to see, or to do. I so hope that his zest for life and all it has to offer is something that he holds onto as he grows up.

Henry is quite literally the best parts of Chris and me combined. He is so much like his daddy that it's uncanny. He is laid back and very even tempered. He is silly, in a sly way. He is funny and observant. And I would say he gets his love of chatter and his friendliness from me.

This year Henry moved from a crib to a toddler bed and then to the bottom bunk. Quite a progression in a year! He's working on potty training and is almost there. He learned to ride a tricycle, and hasn't stopped since. He learned to make an H, to draw a circle, and learned his full name, his brothers and parents names, and where he lives. He has gotten very independent and wants to do everything himself. His vocabulary exploded this year, and he says some of the funniest things. He's very physical, never one to shy away from wrestling with his brother or climbing on something. Henry became a big brother this year also! He loves baby Jack, and he's very tender and loving (for the most part!) with him.

Henry is very creative and loves to draw, paint, color, play with play doh, and do crafty things. He sings all the time and makes up funny songs. His favorite color is blue. He loves to play outside, especially in the sand box or on the swing set. His favorite things to do are playing trains and cars, watching movies, reading books, and riding his tricycle. He loves to go to the park, for a walk, to the library, or to Target.

Henry, from the start, has loved to eat! He is willing to try anything, which I love. His favorites are by far junk food and anything sweet, but we're working on that! I asked him what his favorite thing to eat is and he said cake. . . He likes to eat yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas, waffles, donuts, cereal, PB&J, turkey sandwiches, cheese and crackers, peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks, breakfast bars, ANYTHING dipped in ranch dressing (and I do mean anything), chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers, french fries, broccoli, apple slices dipped in peanut butter, corn, rice, cinnamon toast, popcorn, string cheese, hot dogs, pepperoni, pizza, and bread.

I asked Chris what five words he would choose to describe Henry. He said, '"Silly, funny, clumsy, handsome (like the daddy), and happy." I choose curious, friendly, mischievous, sweet, and excited. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for Henry.

Happy third birthday Henry! We love you!

April 19, 2005

April 2006

April 2007

April 2008

Five for Friday

1. Last night Jack slept in his bed (in our room) from 9 until 3:30. This is a big step for him, as he normally sleeps in his carseat. He would have made it all night I presume, but I got sick of hearing him making noise and put him in the carseat! I tried to swaddle him to put him to sleep, and he's too big for his swaddling blankets! I used a receiving blanket and he was very happy. He's currently in his crib sleeping, swaddled tightly! I'll be moving him to our room when I go to bed but am *considering* having him sleep in his crib tomorrow night. This would be a HUGE move for me, as I kept the other boys in our room until they were over six months. Not for any reason, other than I like to have them near me.

2. Monday will be the two year anniversary of my grandmother's death. I thought about her a lot today, mostly how it makes me sad that she never got to meet Jack. I know she enjoyed David and Henry tremendously, and would have loved Jack as well. Especially his name. Each of our children has a family name for some part of their name. David Ray is named after both my dad (David) and Chris' parents (Ray). Henry Roy is named after my dad and grandmother (Roy is my dad's middle name and was my grandmother's maiden name). Jack is named after my uncle Jack, who was my grandmother's brother. And the family story is that my grandmother named Jack. My gram could be a bit eccentric at times (Hello, she gave me Spam for Christmas one year), but in her own way she loved us very much. I am very fortunate to have her wedding and engagement rings, which I treasure. I have very fond memories of spending weekends with her and my grampy before he passed away. She was the only person who would play school with me when I was little, because I was so mean! I would go to her house when I stayed home sick from school, and she would make me chocolate milk and sandwiches out of Pepperidge Farm bread, cut into four triangles. We would color forever, and she wouldn't get upset when I came down all of the stairs at her house on my bum. She would ask me if I had to "tinkle" before we went someplace, and I thought that was a riot. Her name was Betty-Jo and my grandfather's name was Chet. I called my grandfather Grampy Chet, so I called her Grammy Chet. As silly as that is, I continued to call her that until she died. I remember going to the grocery store with her and riding in the basket part of the grocery cart. I sat on a tomato while we were there, and I swear we laughed together about that story until I was 25. We both loved charm bracelets, tote bags, and the Republican party! The thing I miss the most about her is the little notes she would write to me when she would send me a card or something in the mail. She had very distinct penmanship, and I'm glad I saved some of those notes. Like me, all of her children were boys. I was the first grandchild, and I think she enjoyed having a girl. I love you Grammy!

3. Tomorrow is Henry's third birthday. Today, as he was sitting getting his hair cut, I was struck by what a juxtaposition he's at. He was sitting in the chair with cotton around his neck and that smock on that you wear when you get a haircut. His face looked like such a baby face, yet his hair looked like a big boy. I wanted to cry! He can sometimes still act very much like my baby, but that portion of him is showing itself so much less now. He still has baby features -- chubby arms and hands, baby fingers, fat baby feet -- but is very much a big boy. And is it a coincidence that today he went accident free all day in his underpants??

4. Tomorrow Jack will be three months. That too makes me sad! There's a very distinct posibility that Jack will be my last baby, so each month that goes by I get a little sad about that.

5. This morning I was awakened by -- wait for it -- an earthquake! My bed was shaking, the windows were rattling, and I had no idea what was going on. I turned the news on shortly after, and it was all over the news that there had been an earthquake in southern Illinois. I cannot believe it was felt strong enough here to wake people up!

Tuesday Twelve

1. My children desperately need haircuts, which is never a fun experience. We go to Snip Its which is certainly not the closest place to get it done, but David is not a good client for a quick cut! It's the only place we've found he'll sit still and not have a tantrum. While getting his hair cut. Never a good combination.

2. We just left the house to get their hair cut. We stopped at the bank first. A twenty minute wait in line, countless, "Please stop that"s from me, and a two for one bloody nose and fat lip later we're back home. Needless to say they still have shaggy hair. Henry ran into David, sent David into the counter, and the injuries occurred.

3. Getting up at 4:17 AM does not make anyone in this house a happy camper by noon.

4. The weather is so sporadic. It was 80 last week and 40 this week. Am I back in New Hampshire?!

5. I've officially lost more than 10 pounds since starting Weight Watchers. I'm not disclosing how long that took me! However, I was happy to bring one of my "black suits" as Chris calls them to Goodwill today and swap it for my favorite pair of pants that hasn't fit for a long time.

6. I have to bake 18 layers of cake and approximately 4 dozen sugar cookies in the next three weeks. Oh, and decorate all of that!

7. Henry is turning three on Saturday and he said, "I know Santa is gonna bring me dat Thomas roller coaster I want for my birfday. He gonna bring it to Chuckin' Cheese-its for mine party." Um, Santa better return the gift he bought and get that roller coaster, because no he wasn't going to be bringing it!

8. If I hear a line from Charlotte's Web one more time today I'm going to go crazy.

9. Jack has been sleeping through the night so well and now all of a sudden has thrown a feeding in at 3:30.

10. I really want a runabout triple stroller to walk the boys in. They won't go to the Y without crying, as we've discussed, and I can't walk them by myself without having one walk. It's not
much exercise moving at the pace of a four year old. There's one on craigslist, and I've emailed about it. I'm really hoping it's not sold yet! These are nearly $1,000 new, and the one on CL is under $200. Keep your fingers crossed!

11. I think I'm going to drag my kitchen table and chairs out to my driveway and scrub them down while the boys are sleeping.

12. David is obsessed with pancakes. "Big ones" which would be homemade, not frozen. As a result, I spend a significant amount of time each week standing in front of the stove making double batches of pancakes. I am now on the lookout for an electric griddle, because I think it would save me a lot of pancake making time. Seriously, this is who I've turned into? I used to covet things like cute purses and clothes. Now I'm getting excited about an electric griddle, a used triple stroller, and a freshly cleaned kitchen table and chairs?

A note to my children

David & Henry,

Good morning! As I type this, at 6:10 in the morning, you are happily playing with your trains and bossing me around shouting, "Mama, DO IT! DO IT!" insisting I start Charlotte's Web. For the umpteenth time in the last twenty-four hours. And the second time already today. Yes, you've been up already today for long enough to watch a full. Length. Movie. Please note for future reference, I can assure you that nothing fun will ever be going on at our house at 4:17 AM. Ever. Please never get up at that time again and want me to get up with you. Don't greet me at the door to your bedroom in your camouflage underpants, big shirt, socks, and Crocs to tell me that it's time for milk and pancakes. That sort of funny business is saved only for grandparents.

Love,
Mama

The Discovery Center

We took the boys to their current favorite place on Earth, the Discovery Center. Or, as Henry said with much enthusiasm, "DA DISCOBERY CENTER!" It's difficult to get a good photo of Henry, because he doesn't stop moving! "Workin' at dat food fing."

David holding Jack without actually touching him. And unable to pry his eyes away from my nemesis Spongebob.

Henry wearing his birthday badge and holding up his "big monies" my grandparents sent him. He was quite excited!

Brown & Blue birthday

Oh Henry!

Henry: Fank you for mine sammich Mama.
Me: You're welcome Henry.
Henry: Mama, you a GENIUS!
Me: Oh thank you Henry. That's sweet.
Henry: (Looking at me strangely) What you mean sweet? Dat not sweet.
Me: Um, what is a genius?
Henry: YOU KNOW! Like da one dat come out of da bottle and do you wishes?!
Me: Oh. I'm a genie?
Henry: Yup. You know it baby.

Rain Much?

It's rained a bit here lately . . . Like, I thought we would need an ark. We got home from delivering a cake yesterday and there was a river running down our road, enormous puddles, and lots of fun water to play in. D&H were a bit apprehensive about it at first but quickly got over that. And yes, D is playing in his underpants. His clothes got wet, so he took them off. What else would you do?

When we came in, David decided to go for a swing. . .

And here's one of Jack sucking his thumb. Not a habit I would choose for him, but SO cute!

Love this!

Other than the chocolate frosting, I had no idea where this was going when I started. I love when someone calls me and says, "Do whatever you want". I actually had half of the cake done with a different fondant design, didn't like it, ripped it all off, refrosted the cake and started again. And I'm so glad I did. This might be my favorite cake I've done so far. If I wasn't too lazy to make my own birthday cake, I think this is what I would want it to look like!

From the Mouths of Babes

In the car tonight leaving my parents' house:

David: Gigi, I don't want you to go. Come home with us.
My mom: I can't David. I want to, but I have to work tomorrow.
David: NO! COMEHOMEWITHME!
Henry: (Giggling) Gigi, you have to WHAT in da morning?
My mom: I have to go to work.
David: NONONONONONONO
Henry: (Giggling more) GIGI! You don't haffa go to work! Gigis don't work!
My mom: This Gigi does!
Henry: GIGI! Only daddies go to work! Goyles don't work! (That would be Henry speak for girls)

And my dad was taking turns giving D&H rides around the yard tonight on his new tractor. My dad sits on the seat and stands whomever is riding with him between his legs. Henry was driving their Jeep and David had a long ride. H wanted a ride, so my dad told David to race him in the Jeep. He had a fit and didn't want to, but my dad held firm that it was Henry's turn. David said, "But Grampy! We can both come!" My dad said there wasn't room and David said, "But you have two legs!" Needless to say, Grampy caved. Henry stood and David sat on Grampy's lap. My children love their Gigi and Grampy so much and have such special relationships with them. I would hate to have had them (and my parents) miss out on that because we lived so far apart! I seriously think each time we drive home from their house how lucky we are that they moved here.

Medical Malpractice

I think I'm going to sue my OB. It may even become class action, because I'm sure I'm not the only one this has happened to. I am fairly certain that when each of my children was delivered some sort of transmitter was implanted in my bum and the babies got the receivers. Why? Because each time I sit down I think I send a signal to them and they need something RIGHTNOW!

Tuesday Twelve

1. We're having Asian turkey lettuce wraps tonight for dinner with cheesy veggie rice. David will probably hate it and want pancakes, as he dislikes any new foods, but I'm holding firm to the eat-what's-for-dinner-or-don't-eat-until-breakfast rule.

2. Jack had been sleeping through the night for two weeks, but in the last two days decided he missed me and wanted to get up at least two times per night. I hope this is just a phase.

3. Henry is officially registered for preschool. That makes me want to throw up! HOW is he already old enough for that?

4. David is learning body parts -- the technical names -- from his teacher's daughter who is a nursing student. She helps in his class and has taken a particular liking to David. (Duh, why wouldn't she?!) It's hysterical to hear him telling Henry to point to his patella.

5. I cleaned out the pantry today and made a pile for the food bank, threw some stuff away, and reorganized. I LOVE an organized pantry.

6. I have been so disorganized with things to get in the mail since having Jack. I promise the formula coupons will get to you before they expire Kelly!

7. I had three TERRIBLE weeks of following Weight Watchers. I was seriously off track. I gained 1.6 pounds!!

8. Henry hates the YMCA playroom. When I asked why he said, "Because I'm ALONE!" Clearly the child has never been alone in his life. Alas, the curse of the middle child! Also, I think the woman who works there when we generally go has a stern voice, which he's not used to. He was looking out the door to the outside playground and (he says) she said, "HENRY! GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" David told me also that he went to the bathroom and Henry said he had to go and the woman said, "You have a diaper on. You can't use the potty." WTF? I totally understand this information is coming from a 3 and 4 year old, but I'm not forcing him to go there if he hates it. I can't stand the thought of him crying the entire time, just so I can walk on the treadmill. I guess it's back to walks with the children and DVDs in the living room for exercise, unless Julie and I make a date! I can sneak there while Chris is home, but he's working extended shifts now, so that won't happen for a while.

9. I have to have a filling replaced (the only filling I have) and I'm dreading it!

10. David's new thing to say is, "I hate it!" I hate that he says that!

11. Why is it that as soon as a child is three, at least in our house, he turns into a mini devil? Henry turns three next week and it's like some internal calendar set an alarm off. He's starting to talk back, act mean, and just generally be [more] mischievious. I thought he would stay sweet forever!

12. Jack is 11 weeks old now and smiling like a crazy man! He can be so upset and crying but will just stop and smile that big toothless smile. I love it!

Oh Target. . .

I went to Super Target today to return something and go grocery shopping. Not my normal grocery store, but I had a gift card and $15 in grocery coupons. I only go "big" grocery shopping once every three weeks or so. That was today. Chris is going in 2 hours early now, so I had all three children shopping with me, which is never ideal. I was armed with snacks, lollipops, my list, coupons, and my calculator. Yes, I'm THAT grocery shopper. We got a HUGE cart full of stuff, paid, and started to walk out. I thought that the total seemed high, so I pulled my cart over and glanced at my receipt. At first glance, I didn't see anything suspicious. It was now 12:15. Lunch time, time to feed Jack, and Henry was tired. I loaded all of the groceries into the car, got my children all buckled into their seats, put the cart away, and got in the car. I still felt like something wasn't right with my total. I pulled out the receipt and went line by line down. Ah yes. I missed it the first time. While I was in the store, not in my car with everyone ready to go and popsicles melting in the trunk. I bought some "red on the vine" tomatoes which were $2.29 a pound. Not $46.63, which is what I was charged. Are you kidding me? So I really didn't have a choice at that point -- I had to get the boys home and fed, and get all of my stuff out of the car before it melted. I would have taken me more than 10 minutes to get everyone out, buckled back into a shopping cart, go in and have them adjust it, then come back out and reverse the process. Henry's napping and when he wakes up we'll be going back to Target to correct that!

I Love Publix!

I went to Publix today because they're having a matching special to try to get people to try Publix brand products. There are four items in the special, and if you purchase the name brand item you get the Publix brand free. So I got Heinz Organic Ketchup, Cascadian Farm organic Raisin Bran, Silk Organic Soy Milk, Delmonte Organic Sweet Peas, Publix Greenwise organic ketchup, PG organic raisin bran, and PG organic soy milk for $13.69 (including tax and my penny item of the week, which was a loaf of bread!) I was unsure about the soy milk, because I didn't know if D&H would like it. However, they would have consumed an entire half gallon already today if I would let them. I'm a big fan of purchasing organically when possible, but it's typically a budget buster for us. Not in this case! I love that the expiration for the soy milk is June, and I'll definitely be back to pick more up. Publix has a lot of organic alternatives in their store brand for things. If you live near Publix, definitely check this deal out!

Prom Cakes

More blog business to come later today, but right now I have laundry calling my name. Here are some cakes I did this weekend for a prom in Nashville. It was a Great Gatsby/Roaring 20's theme. One was chocolate cake with oreo cream filling and the other was vanilla cake with buttercream filling. YUM!

Funny boy

Henry was mad at me today in the car. He threw his blanket behind the seat and yelled at me about it. He told David not to look at him. When we got home I unbuckled his carseat and said it was time to get out. He said, "Jesus Crap Mama, I don't want to right now." Um, excuse me? "I SAID Jesus Crap Mama, I don't want to get out." Oh, well that clears it up. I told him we don't say things like that. "Damnit. I like to say Jesus Crap." And I thought he would be the sweet one.

Latest Creations

I'm back as the cake lady. Before I had Jack, had someone told me that I would be back doing cakes 10 weeks after he was born, I'd think they were crazy. It's really no different than before. I do my baking during the day and decorating at night when everyone's asleep. Thankfully he's a very routine baby now, so it's pretty predictable. Anyway, here are the two latest. The first was for my mother-in-law's birthday, the second is for a baby shower. I have two cakes for 200 people to do for this weekend. They will be good practice for a wedding I'm doing in May. For over 300!