GARAGE SALEIN' IT

Yup, those are my feet (just don't look to close at the fading pedicure) and they are likely to be kicked up in my garage the whole day.... just sitting around waiting to sell all my junk! Well, it is mostly the kid's junk. But whatever! This is my first attempt at a garage sale, and so far, it hasn't been that bad. (I was sort of expecting the worse!) My Mother-In-Law did a LOT of the prepping and setting up, and let's face it - that is the super, sucky part! And now, she is keeping the kids at bay so I can actually try to get rid of stuff. (There is nothing like two kids wrestling with a customer over a stuffed dog!) Ahhh, loads of fun over here!

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Last night I asked Dylan to say goodnight to Chase and this is how it came out in the sweetest, most innocent little voice, "Byeeee, Cheeese." (Yes, he calls his brother Cheese! Hee Hee)
My heart does a little pitter-pat everytime I hear sweet little words forming and rolling off his tongue. I can't get over his cute little voice and how adorable his new "words" sound. (Remind me to read this post a year from now when the sound of his voice will make me want to crawl in the refridgerator to avoid hearing the inevitable "Why's" and "I WANT's" and "NOW's" and all those other fun things that will surely drive my crazy!)
For now, I just can't get enough!

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Chase is destined to be a sales man, I just know it. He is so expressive and enthusiastic and pitches the commercials that he sees word-for-word. He came running downstairs this morning excitedly saying, "Mom, I just watched this thing for Bendaroos. You can make them into insects that crawl up your arm!!! You can turn bottles into models, and a cereal box into a cool guitar!!!! They stick right to the wall and NO MESS!!! If you call right now, they DOUBLE your order!!!!" I can't help but just laugh at how he regurgitates the schpeel, word for word! He is a natural.

MEMORIAL DAY POST (4 days late!)

Every year there is a big parade that goes right through the middle of our little town. Believe it or not, but this is one of the most exciting things for the kids to witness. Oh, and did I mention that all the parade participants toss out candy by the fistful. I think that may be one of the key components that adds to the hype, oh and lots of fire trucks, tractors, and cool old cars. Really, could a little boy ask for anything more? The photo above is of Chase frantically waving and smiling REAL big. He quickly figured out that doing those two things created LOTS of candy flying in our direction.

Beyond all the hoopla, I can't help but feeling pretty darn grateful, proud and indebted to those who have sacrificed to make this silly little parade (and the zillion other freedoms we have) something that we can enjoy. So, THANK YOU!!

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Yup, that's right, yours truly had a birthday. It was actually on Wednesday, I know, I know, I have been slacking a little with the posts! Anyway, THIRTY-TWO years old. Wow. Does thirty-two sound drastically older than thirty-one or is it just me?

Grandma Pamma flew in to celebrate the big day with me, and of course my twin sister.

Chase was a little miffed that he wasn't invited to join the celebration, which was actually dinner out without the kids. To make it up to him, Auntie suggested we go to the ZOO!!!

The dinner was long forgotten as we headed down to Brookfield Zoo early the next morning. What a spectacular day! Here are a dozen or so pictures. (Consider yourself warned... there are a LOT of pictures in the post. Okay, so just a few more than normal... HA!)

Chase appointed himself as our official tour guide the minute they handed us our map which basically put him in the position to boss us around all day pointing to the map, shouting "I WANNA GO HERE!" every 30 seconds. Of course, we didn't quite hit them all (that place is HUGE) and the adults, whom weren't leisurely riding around in strollers all day, ran out of steam by about 3pm. But, there is always next time. The new exhibit this year is a Dinosaurs Alive attraction with lots of life-sized dinosaurs that move and ROAAARRRR from time to time.

I tried and tried to get Chase to stand right in front of one of the dinosaurs so I could take a picture.... but for some reason, he was a little frightened to get too close. (I can't imagine WHY???) So, this was the best I could do!

If you have ever been inside the Monkey House on a hot day, then you will understand why Chase was holding his arm in front of his nose like this the entire time we were in there. Of course, most of us are too polite to insult the Monkeys by actually doing it...but NOT Chase!!!

This guy was actually smiling at us! Oh, do you think that is just how he looks all the time? You are probably right, I won't go flattering myself!

But compared to this guy, doesn't the one above look pretty darn happy!

And finally, who could forget the King of the Jungle! The LION! Dylan started yelling "Kitty" (although it comes out "Titty") and meowing at the lion as we passed. Wow, he is actually connecting that cats and lions are both from the feline family... isn't he smart!!! I was so proud of him... that is until we wandered over to Polar Bears and he started doing the same thing!?!? Yup, then he started doing that to EVERY animal we passed. Okay, he still has a LONG way to go ;)

WEEKEND WRAP-UP

Just in case you needed a good chuckle - I included this picture for you! Wow, we had a really busy, NOT busy weekend. Nothing planned, but never a dull moment. That is how we usually roll around here. We had a house guest for one. Eric, Dave's best friend, came to visit and stayed with us for one night. The boy's went out to do a little fishing, for old time's sake. (Photo courtesy of Eric's I-Phone.) Chase had a great time! When I asked him how it went he said, "Welllllll...... first I caught the anchor, the rope to the anchor, Eric, then Daddy, THEN a FISH!!!! Although they might have been a little light in the fish department, it sounds like there wasn't a shortage of "catching" going on. I guess that's what happens when you give a four-year-old a fishing pole!

Chase also did a little tree-climbing.

He also helped Daddy around the yard. And for that he needs his "gear."

Multi-tasking!

There was no shortage of bumps and bruises this weekend, but we did manage to avoid the Dr.'s office (GASP!) So, we will call it a success. I hope yours was just as good ;)

18 MONTH PICS (DYLAN) & 4 YR PICS (CHASE)

Yippeee! I love when I get pictures back from my friend/photographer Carrianne. She is seriously amazing. If you only knew the behind the scenes chaos that was happening during this shoot... hee hee! (Just imagine what she can do with cooperative subject matter!!! Check out her blog here if you don't believe me.) Anyway, the kids where a little crazy, but of course she still managed to get some GREAT shots of Chase and Dylan. Last time we went to see Carrianne Dylan immediately got a fat lip after tripping and falling. This time Dylan bonked the corner of his eye and it started swelling up. (Look closely at his right eye on the picture above, you will see it! What a klutz... hee hee.) I am sure she is starting wondering what is wrong with my kid! (He takes after his daddy, that's all! HA!) Anyway, I have a TON more - this is just a few of the highlights. Enjoy!!!!

Don't let him fool you people!!! He isn't as sweet and precious as he looks here! I LOVE this picture of him.

"Come here little fishy!!!!"

FROM BABY TO BOY

Dylan looks different today. "He's getting older!" I remarked to Dave this morning.... "Just look at him!" Dave shot me back the "Well, DUH" look.

Its like maybe the scales just tipped and he seems a little more "boy" than "baby" all of a sudden. He's dropping the baby fat, leaning down and stretching out. His eyes have a little more sparkle and a knowing behind them as if to say "I understand you! I am starting to get it!" His chattering is starting to resemble actual "words." (But, only to the highly trained ear!) He is more confident, head strong and feisty than ever before. He is definitely learning to assert himself. He is gaining coordination: dancing, running, jumping and climbing. He is, indeed, standing a little taller.

Is it really possible that all this happened over night??? Likely not. Maybe it all just hit me at once or I slowed down enough to actually LOOK. He is just changing so fast, my baby.... I mean BOY!

WEEKLY RITUAL

We started off the day with what seems to be our new weekly ritual - heading to the doctors office. We were such a spectacle all traipsing in there.. I mean, more so than usual anyway. Dylan has a busted lip, I was trying to hide a big shiner on my eye behind over sized sunglasses that I refused to take off and Chase was just totally ticked about having to go to the doctor. I realize I am a little self conscious about our injuries, but I swear I could see all the nurses raising an eyebrow. Anyway, Chase started heading south on Thursday evening. He forehead was warm and he asked to go to bed (raise the red flags!!!) Friday morning he promised he was feeling fine and insisted on going to school. They took his temperature there and it was 102. Ekkk..... Then last night and this morning he started complaining of a sore throat. So, I decided it was about time that we get him checked out. Although, his initial throat swab came back negative for strep, they are still treating him for it given he has all the symptoms.

Doesn't he look like he is awfully sick? HA - nothing slows this kid down.

So, you are probably wondering about the busted lip and the black eye. Thursday Dylan he was playing on the stairs with me, or I should say I was trying to coax him down the stairs when he flailed a little too far to the left and bashed his face into the trim. The 10 minutes that followed were NOT pretty. Mass amounts of bloody drool oozed out between sobs & screams. His top lip swelled up so that it was sticking out further than his nose and it appears that he even severed that little flap of skin connecting his lip and his upper gum. Not pretty. Here he is a few days later... luckily the swelling is pretty much gone.

Then yesterday, the teachers planned a little Mother's day celebration in Dylan's preschool class. So, I took an early lunch and headed over there for some cute crafts and mommy & me story time. I was trying to keep him in my lap for the story time when he got mad and reared his cement head forward and then back with all the force an irritated 18-month-old can muster.... WHICH IS A LOT! Wowsa. Instantly I was seeing stars and tearing up. Luckily I maintained most of my composure until I got in my car and burst into tears at the sight of my already red and swelling cheek/eye. I am pretty sure that I was the only mommy that left the Mother's Day party with a black eye. **** Big Sigh****

Certainly the remainder of my Mother's Day weekend will be injury/illness free!!!!

I am keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

I hope all you Mommy's out there have a wonderful Mother's Day, and hopefully your expectations are a little higher than mine - hee hee :)

SHORT LIVED

Well, at least they looked good for a couple of days. I LOVE the tulips arrival every spring but am always disappointed that they don't seem to last very long. Between Chase picking some.... ("But Mommy, I picked this one for YOU!!!!" smiling sweetly to avoid punishment), then chopping a bunch down using his shovel like a Marchetti knife, and finally resorting to pulling petals off one by one ("But Mom, you told me not to PICK them or CHOP them down!"), they were starting to look a bit meek. Then throw in a couple rain/wind storms and now the remains of the tulips lay scattered across the yard with only a few bright leaves still holding on. Sniff, sniff. I was hoping they would hold on for Mother's Day. Maybe next year!

PLAYING HOOKEY :)

Yes, I realize that I will be THIRTY-TWO in a couple weeks, but I swear... deep down, sometimes I still feel like a teenager. Usually just when Dave is out of town (thankfully this doesn't happen often.) Here I am staying up way too late, playing on the computer, letting the dishes pile up, watching Dancing With the Stars, and eating Banana Bread for dinner. (Yes at 11PM, AND I feel the need to confess that I DIDN'T bake the Banana Bread, my mother-in-law made it. Baking on my one-day housewife hiatus would be SO.NOT.COOL! That sounds like something I would have said 15 *gasp* years ago.) Anyway, I tend to revert back to my teenage days when Dave travels. Not in the "sneaking ciggy's on the back deck" kind of way, more in the "generally slacking off and mal-nourishing myself " kind of way. Good thing he is coming back tomorrow. He will probably just laugh and this and call me out on the fact that all those things still happen whether he is here to witness them or not. Which is true, maybe there is just less guilt involved??? Hmmmm....I don't know.


Anyway, I am also here to document the fact that.... TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY. (Enlightening - right?) So, my vow for tomorrow is to start fresh. I have admittedly been a little......okay A LOT, ornery/irritable lately. I need to shake off this FUNK. It is starting to get me down, and I am sure you are sick of reading about it. Thankfully, my soul-mate (literally, NOT romantically) twin-sister listened to me vent for a solid thirty minutes and talked me back down (and out of seeking professional help/prescription "happy pills.")


So, with all that being said... I am off to bed. Sleeping well is surely a key component to my mental well being.

Just repeat after me: (this is mostly for my benefit)
"I can do this!" "Don't let the 4-year-old get the better of you!" "Tomorrow is a new day!"

ACCEPTANCE IS THE FIRST STEP

"Little boys make messes and we (mostly I) clean them up! Just accept the fact and move on." This is the advice my husband gave me when I muttered to him, "I don't even know why I bother anymore..." after Chase failed to take off his shoes when I asked him to as he darted in from outside in obvious need of a restroom. It was such an urgent need that he really couldn't be bothered with taking his shoes off or an accident was sure to follow... but STILL. He left a trail of dirt/mud in his wake. (Grrrr) So, maybe I do need to either accept it or throw in the towel... hmmmm, which way to go??? Which way to go????

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Chase: (smiling slyly with hands behind his back) Mommy, I have something to show you!

Me: Ahhh, what? (cringing)
Chase: (lifts open both fists to show me a couple of his crayons) Look, they are NAKED! HA HA HA. I took their clothes off! (he had peeled off all their wrappers)

Me: (Snickering) Cool Buddy!

Is it wrong that I find his juvenile humor funny. I shouldn't be encouraging it -should I?