fess up friday

Oi. What a time these past few weeks have been. Here is the best and the worst of it (in no particular order):

- I caught myself using tv as a bargaining tool on several occasions. Not even a good one. I think it went something like this "sit down and be quiet, or I am turning the tv off right now." yeah, we probably won't be leaving the house a whole lot, so this is about all I have.

- I take breaks potty training. If I don't think I can handle it that day, I just put him in pull-ups. That won't confuse him or anything. Really.

- I have zero pain tolerance. I actually have cried every time that I have thrown up this time around. Great.

- There is currently a load of laundry in the washer. I have no idea when I ran it. I am afraid to open it due to the inevitable smell.

- Going back to the tv thing... my 14 month old sings along to the theme song for Bubble Guppies and actually claps whenever he hears it. If you don't know what Bubble Guppies is, consider yourself lucky.

- Also, my 3 year old speaks Spanglish thanks to Dora. Great. As if I didn't have a hard enough time understanding him.

Source

- My attitude towards diapers has gotten pretty awful. I avoid them whenever possible. My one year old must know this. He has decided to drop a load every two hours or so. I think he likes to make me suffer.

beautiful things

This is truly a beautiful song. It reminds me that I am not finished yet, and that I don't have to rely on my own strength. There is so much more that I have yet to see or even imagine.

saltines and show tunes

Last week was such a roller coaster of a week. I spent at least two full days moving back and forth between my bed and the couch, trying to convince the boys that staying confined in the room we were currently in was super fun. I have the feeling they didn't fall for it, but they did what they were told none-the-less (with a breakdown here and there).
     We had a ridiculously busy weekend planned, and I was completely overwhelmed by just how much we had going on. We went to a birthday party for two toddlers on Saturday afternoon. That entire morning I could barely convince myself to get out of bed, so by the time we needed to leave I was sort of in rush mode. The whole party I felt like I was in a daze. It was hot, sunny and there were a ton of little kiddos running around the backyard. It was fun, but very draining. After two hours of that, the rest of the day was spent in recoup mode.
     Sunday was going to be an even busier day. We had planned to go to church, followed by a cookout, immediately followed by Chicago the musical that was being done at Flat Rock Play House (which apparently is North Carolina's state theatre). I didn't make it to church because I was already exhausted just thinking about everything else that we needed to do, so my husband took the boys by himself. Apparently, my 3 year old peed on a friend after church. Oh, the joys of potty training.
     After a quick nap for the boys and getting everything that we would need for such a busy afternoon packed up in the car, we set out for the cookout. The place we were going was only about 20 minutes away, but halfway down the road I got a terrible feeling in my stomach. I knew things were going downhill. Luckily, we had a ton of practice with emergency stops due to the fact that I was constantly throwing up when I was pregnant with my oldest. Stephen stopped right in time for me to jump out of the car.... and well.... I'll spare you the details. Ugh.
However, it made me feel so much better! I was actually able to enjoy myself at the cookout and eat almost whatever I wanted. (It also helped that I took a few pills that my old OB was lovely enough to prescribe for me to cancel out what I like to call the baby-pukes.)
     For almost 5 hours we played in the sun, at fished, played corn hole, walked, and chatted with some old friends and new acquaintances. We were the only ones there with kids, so it was much more laid back than Saturday afternoon.  When you have 8 or 9 couples who are either pregnant, ready to think about kids or just like kids- someone is always ready and willing to play with yours. It helps that ours were in pretty good moods.  I wish I had taken my camera, but I probably would have forgotten to take pictures.
Once everyone else left, we hosed down the kids cleaned the boys and ourselves up a bit. The couple who were hosting the cookout had already agreed to watch the boys while we went to the play. It was super easy that way, since we were able to leave straight from their house without making another trip to drop the boys off anywhere.
     The show was pretty great. Although, I will be the first to admit that I am always going to compare things like that with the movie.... and the actor they had playing Billy was no where close to Richard Gere....
I was glad we saw it, though, and was so very glad to see my bed once we made it home. I am glad that the previous week had been so low key (even if it was only because I felt like I was going to die half of the time.)
     Stephen took today off to help make today easier. This is Harry's last week of preschool, so hopefully I can put those two days to very good use. Tonight I think we will be eating something very easy and following it with some ice cream. Might as well end the long weekend on a very high note.

Dear Baby: 6 weeks

Dear baby,

    I can already tell you are going to be a trouble maker, just like your brothers. I woke up this morning to that subtle feeling of queasiness only to discover that full on nausea was soon to say hello. I don't blame you. It's not your fault. I actually find it comforting that you are making your presence known. I just want you to grow big and strong.
    Your big brother, Harry is already excited to meet you. He is pretty sure your name is going to be Hazel. Your father and I disagree. But no matter the name we end up choosing, he will love you just the same. I'm sure. West is probably the one you will have to worry about. You are taking the title of "baby" from him. I don't think he is going to let it go enthusiastically. I tell them both everyday that you are on your way. I tell them that you live in my belly now, but soon you'll be here and our family will be complete.

I can't wait to meet you, precious little bean.

-your mama

happy mother's day to me

(apparently blogger decided to delete this post, so i am rewriting it)

My mother's day was amazing. I would even go so far as to say it was the best yet. Stephen went above and beyond what I imagined.

The day started with the boys waking me up with some hugs and kisses. I got homemade cards, a mug from my favorite bookstore in downtown Asheville and a new pair of Toms (yay!)

After presents were opened, we had pancakes for breakfast and lounged around for a bit.

We went to church, had lunch in Asheville and walked around for a few hours while both boys napped in the stroller. (I don't know what I would do without my double stroller!)

After coming back home, Stephen told me that he had one more surprise for me. Apparently he had been waiting for it to come in his email all morning.

   A couple of weeks ago, I had gone out to dinner with a friend. While I was out of the house, Stephen had his friend come take picture of the boys. I had no idea! The email containing the link to the pictures had finally come and I could see the pictures that were taken.

Amazing. Lauren Rosenau made magic. She made my two silly children look absolutely precious.

I hope that your mother's day was as amazing as mine.

excuse me while i pretend to be a t-rex

Things have definitely started seeing a change of pace around the home front since the news of the third little amigo being on its way. I can't find much energy to do most things, so priorities have changed. I find myself spending more time focusing on the boys and just enjoying them. I don't want to spend my whole pregnancy thinking of things that need to be done OR being overwhelmed by how much life is going to change by adding another little being that needs all of my attention. I want to remember this time with just the three of us. I want to really and truly enjoy the beginning of the preschool age and the end of the baby stages. Every day seems to bring new accomplishments or discoveries. I don't want to lose those little celebrations in exhaustion.

So, here is to: leaving some dishes undone upon occasion, not fretting over piles of laundry, listening to lots of baby laughs and playing dinosaurs whenever I just so happen to be invited to join in on the fun. I am really in love with my two little misters and just know that life can only get better by adding to the brood.

sharing is caring

With the fact that we will soon be a family of 5 quickly becoming a reality to both the Mister and I, the time has come to figure out a new sleeping arrangement for the two little men. They currently have separate bedrooms. This has been a necessity due to the fact that neither have been what you might call "good sleepers". On the contrary, my kids are terrible sleepers. They cry, talk, sing and do whatever they can think of to get out of bed. We are making progress, though, and think that by the time the little guy is 18 months that we will be able to swing a shared room.

This has lead to the search for share spaces that are both functional and cute. Here are a few that have caught my eye.

Yes, I know that all three of these look a bit girly... but, I am positive that with the right interpretation that they could be transformed into amazing spaces for two fancy fellas such as my own.

The biggest problem I think that I will be facing is the fact that we are not going to paint. So I will have to find a creative way to cover parts of the acid green walls.

Good thing I like a challenge.

All images via Ohdeedoh

an announcement

After a few weeks of feeling a bit out of sorts, I finally know the reason.
Baby number three is on the way. I would normally not share something like this so early (5 weeks), but I need some advice. I am considering using a midwife this time around, but am still unsure about all of the differences from an OB. I am asking you to give me any information or feedback from personal experiences (either way). I have done a traditional hospital birth twice and it was fine. I am still pretty pro-hospital, and will most likely deliver there whichever type of care I choose.

So, thanks in advance for you help and advice. I will hopefully be meeting with a midwife in the next few weeks to determine if I even like the woman (I probably don't want someone I am not too keen on being all up in "there").

And.... I will also be holding my breath for the next few weeks. I have a history of miscarriage and every little cramp or pain is scary. Maybe send a prayer or two my way if you think about it, too?