Just another Nutshell

we are in the middle of a snowstorm as i type.

carter is sick with a fever, a nose that runs like a faucet, and a horrible cough.

we set up his 'big-boy-bed' earlier this week, and he hasn't gotten out of it at bedtime yet. *knock on wood*

he thinks its pretty cool.

isabelle is about to turn 1, and i just cant believe it. soon, i wont have a baby anymore!!

she has 3 teeth on the bottom, and a top one just pokin through.

she doesn't crawl, rather, she scoots and rolls....fast.

she rolls twice over to get to where she's goin without even stoppin.

many kids are walking by 11 & 1/2 months, but isabelle doesn't even crawl.........my children have always been late bloomers....early out of the womb, and late to get hair, teeth, to roll over, sit, pull up, crawl and walk.

isabelle is just such a little darling.

carter is the one that makes me pull my hair out......

10 year tongue ring

My latest sacrifice to mommyhood...

The.tongue.ring.is.gone.

OKAY!?!?

I'm sure so many of you are so pleased.

It's okay.

I'm not upset.

I even told the dentist he could keep it.

I took a moment, and moved on.

I offically lay the 10-year-tongue-ring to rest.

Although, I'm not sure how long the indent stays in my tongue...

Odds n Ends

Play-doh is fun...

Two jail birds...

Two couch potatoes,

Ever tried ramen noodles???

Isabell's #1 fan...Grandma Violet.

We're So Big!

Around here everyone is

So-O-O-O-O-O-O BIG!!!

Speeding

Carter, Daddy and Bell-Bell all played Ring-around-the-rosie and got dizzy.

Carter wanted to get dizzier.

Then he had a wreck in his car.

He's okay.

He was wearing his safety belt.

That should bring everyone back up to speed. Now we're all caught up.

Back to the basics

Our bathroom is COMPLETELY finished.

FINITO! YAY!!!

And they lived happily ever after.....

A Post Out Of Guilt

Oh my, how times does fly. I create this post only in guilt that I haven't posted anything in quite some time.
Here is your short and sweet update:
Jer has finished the upstairs bathroom. I took my first shower in the new tub surround with all new plumbing and tile, complete with a new faucet and shower head this morning. My oh my, it's been a long time coming.

Six plus months, to be exact.

Isabelle has a tooth that broke through today. Yes, this is her very first tooth!

And Carter has gone pee-pee on his new potty. What a party that was!

My fathers birthday was Oct. 31st.
My husbands birthday is in less than 2 weeks, and my grandmothers birthday is one day after that.

And Simon got a haircut.

October Festivities

This past weekend, Jer was on-call, and to our delight, he didn't get called in once. Which, means no money, BUT, it did mean that we had the most fabulous weekend of the year. In fact, it has been the ONLY weekend of the year that we were all home together. Jer and I are still saying to each other how wonderful it was.

First, Saturday morning we went VERY SHORT NOTICE to the pumpkin patch with the kids. There was a wagon ride, great weather, lots of kids, pumpkins and smiles all around.

Then home for naps.

Next, we went outside to rake leaves, play in them, and then go for a walk.

Auntie Lynn came over for a yummy dinner that I ACTUALLY MADE, and offered to stay to babysit so Jer and I could go to the local Haunted House. After waiting in line for over an hour, we went in. I went first, and screamed my little toosh off and almost pooped my pants. It was hysterical!

Sunday, we planned a Pumpkin carving party.

All kinds of friends and family came over to carve the pumpkins we had picked up at the pumpkin patch. We ordered pizzas, and then lit the pumpkins at sunset.

We all had such a great time. Spending time together as a family is something that we definitely DO NOT take for granted, since we have so little of it.

Carter wants, Carter gets

Nice work, Greg!

The wrath of Carter

Since Isabelle has to play with all of Carter's old baby toys, she will be playing with the John Deere tractor, the barn, and the dinosaurs.

Along with the shape sorter, the blocks, the shakers and the ring stacker thing. Unfortunately, Carter thinks that all of the toys are HIS. Which makes sense to a toddler who has been the ONLY one to EVER play with these toys. (with an occasional friend here and there that would come visit)

Carter is not getting the whole concept of sharing. He will instantly start to whine and rip toys out of Isabelle's hands (and mouth) like a vicious raptor. It doesn't help that he is getting into the Terrible Two's, and will throw himself face first on the floor in a heartbeat.

I may have to give in an buy Isabelle a few toys of her OWN. Bright pink ones. With polka dots. And dresses. I'm thinking that maybe if I bought some 'My Little Pony's' or 'Barbie', Carter will back off. As long as it's not a CAR for Barbie.

If I can't teach Carter to share, how will I ever teach him to go potty on the potty???

Now I'm scared.

It's time for FALL!

Carter loves to help. Last night, he helped me set the table. I gave him 3 plates, and he put them at their places. Then the forks, and the glasses, and 3 napkins. And he is drinking out of a REAL cup at dinner now, instead of the usual sippy cup. He is growing up right before my very eyes!!!

My favorite season is definitely upon us.

FALL.

I love it.

I love the cool breeze, I love the crisp air, I love the colors of the leaves, and the leaves blowing around in the streets. I love the temperature, and I even love the cold, cloudy days that make you happy to be at home with your family, all cozy warm in your jammies. I love fall scents, like pumpkin, and apple pie and cinnamon. And I love wearing pants, a t-shirt, and a light jacket, all made of cotton. Heck, I don't even mind wearing mittens! I love sweatshirts, and flannel sheets. I love lots of blankets on the bed, and fleece and watching t.v. in bed on a cold night. And ooh, my morning coffee is SO much better when there is a chill in the air!

Now that Jer has finished the porch, he will start working on getting the 2nd coat of white paint on the fence we put in last fall. We ran out of time before winter hit, and never got the last coat on. So, it was left for this year. Hopefully we'll have some time before the snow falls to get it done.

PORCH BEFORE AND AFTER:

And as for me and my rockin new hair cut and color, you'll just have to wait for the pics.

End of Vacation

My vacation time is quickly coming to a screeching halt. This afternoon, I have to to to work for a whole 4.5 hours. And then, I have tomorrow off. YAY!!!! I must comment, that working 1/2 day on Mondays, and having Tuesdays off, and then working 10 hours W-F, has really been working to my advantage lately.

Jer has had almost all of last week off, ironically. He's been on-call, however, no one has been calling! Which is good, because he's been working on the house, but not good, because he'll get a small paycheck. In any case, I think the time off has been a blessing for both Jer, and myself.

In this time off, we have done many things. We have graduated Isabelle from her small Rubbermaid tote bathtub, to the extra-long under the bed storage container. She is getting so big, and, as you know, I have no bathtub.

BUT, WE ARE GETTING A NEW PORCH AS WE SPEAK. Who cares about finishing the bathroom. Let's start a NEWER MORE EXCITING project. We are sick of working on the bathroom, anyway. **notice how I can put words into my husbands mouth**

Carter has been moved out of his old car seats, and into his 'big boy' car seat. Which, I don't t think he even likes. We went to visit some college friends of mine, which was a 30 minute drive.

Both ways there and back, at some point, Carter had gotten himself all worked up and was throwing a temper-tantrum for 10 minutes. I'm not sure if it was related to him being uncomfortable in the seat, or something else, but it was not fun. So, no long trips in the car anymore for us!

Since Carter's moved up in the world of car seats, so has Isabelle.

She sits on her own (finally, at 8.5 months), and claps her hands with excitement. She started flapping her arms like a bird...one day I'm positive she's fly away. Overall, she's happy, happy happy. ALWAYS HAPPY. The only times she'll cry, is when she's tired or hurt. She is a perfect little angel, and we are so lucky to have her.

Carter, in the meantime, has become obsessed over videos. He LOVES Nemo, Elmo, Madagascar, and Monsters Inc.

He is talking like such a big boy, too. This weekend alone, he had many new words: Shrek, back, airplane, and help. I am so proud of him.

I've been shopping on eBay for winter clothes for Carter. I got 6 pairs of our favorite brand of pants for $2.00/pair.

That includes shipping. WHAT A DEAL!! I can't even get them that cheap at the 2nd hand store!

So, with such a bargain, I decided I could afford to buy myself a new pair of shoes. YAY!

And tomorrow, I'm getting my hair cut. Short. Very short. I've decided that it's not worth irritation that my hair causes me. I'll just chop it off, and it will be gone. Then I can't complain that it is on my neck, shoulders, and it its HOT and all that hair makes my neck sweat. So, this is what I'm thinking:

I attempted to make apple crisp yesterday. The idea was inspired by Lisa. Now, we all know I hate the kitchen. This was not the first time I've make apple crisp. I happened to remember that it was a very easy thing to do. So, I thought Jer would be so proud if he came home to the smell of apple pie, and a big, fat, yummy pan of apple crisp. I went out to the apple trees, picked my apples, peeled, cut, measured and did everything I was supposed to. BUT, you know, cooking OR baking is not my thing, so something had to go wrong. It was all my fault, and I admit it. First, I put my 4 cups of cut up apples into an 8X11 pan, rather than an 8X8 pan. Second, I melted the butter completely instead of softening it, so my topping turned into balls instead of crumbles. And third, I put in the nutmeg because the recipe called for it. My mother later told me that she always leaves it out. I agreed. What I ended up with is a thin layer of cooked apples, with blobs of chewy stuff on top, that tasted like NUTMEG.

EWWWW!!!!!

Oh, whatever. There are worse things in life than not being able to cook. Or bake.

At least I'm good at shopping.

The Ultimate Mom In A Nutshell

Moms are wonderful people that often do not get the credit they deserve.
Much of the time, our job is not the most glamorous. There is lots of cleaning, lots of delegating, lots of preparing, lots of getting ready, lots of repeating, lots of repeating, lots of repeating the same thing over and over and over, lots of "no", lots of "lets go", and lots of "I love you".

But, no one has said it better than this woman. Forgive me, I have no idea who she is. But she's hilarious!!! You must all see what she has to "say".

Happenings

I've been waiting to do a new post until all of the 'big events' of our day-to-day lives started to decrease, but I see no end in sight. So, this is what's been happening.

Isabelle is quickly getting bigger and bigger. So big, in fact, that soon she will need a new car seat. Jer and I have decided that it will be much more economical to get Carter a new booster, and to move Bell Bell into Carter's seat that he's been in since he was her age....so so long ago. I've been to almost every store in the area comparing car seats. I've been online comparing car seats, and then back to each store for a 2nd look at all the car seats. I can't decide.

Which, is the sole reason for Belle being in the infant carrier for so long. Do I spend the extra money for the EPP foam lining, or do I get the cheap one with just the plastic and the cover? Since, they all have to pass a safety test, anyway to go on the market. And, do I really write down the measurements for each seat, and then compare them to the measurements in my car to find one that will take up the less amount of space? Or do I just buy the one that Consumer Reports ranks highest?? Even though it may mean that we all may not fit in one car until Bell turns 1? (She has to be rear facing until she turns 1, and then the front seat has to be pushed all the way up almost to the dashboard for her car seat to fit.)

At any rate, there will be 2 new car seats purchased within the next few weeks. And there will be photos. Don't worry.

I've had the opportunity to work some overtime, and, as we all know, Jer just works ALL the time.

Carter and Isabelle enjoyed their first parade a few weeks ago. Isabelle was cheery as a peach, getting passed around the entire time, and Carter started to really get into the swing of the parade during the last 10 minutes of it. (It was 2 hours long.)

Jer has begun a new project, despite our decision earlier this year to invest in new windows, AND NO MORE PROJECTS!!!! And, despite my pleas for plumbing in the newly remodeled upstairs bathroom. And, despite my udder disgust of the dripping pipes in the basement.

Yes, Jer has begun a new project. He has gutted and begun to paint the three season porch. I'm pleased as pie. Can you tell?

I bought a giant bucket of cookie dough, and thought I'd make the cookies to take to the parade. I didn't take the cookies to the parade. Instead, we ate them over the course of a week.

Carter and Snoopy cruised in the Coupe with the help of Daddy,

and Carter decided that it was fun to draw on the Magna Doodle. I think he will be left handed.

And as Carter quickly grew out of the high chair, Isabelle quickly grew into it.

Although, I am COMPLETELY convinced that Carter makes the bigger mess at mealtime, and should be the one messing up the high chair, and not my beautiful dinning room table.

But isn't that what little boys are for??? Certainly little girls don't make messes like these!!!!!!

Our 3rd anniversary is coming up next week, and Jer and I have both taken the day after off in hopes of a relative taking the kids overnight so we can 'raise the roof' and have a late night out....so far, it looks like we will be at home doing the usual -- dinner, clean up, play, baths, bed, collapse. I'm thinking that even if we did ship the kids off for a night at home alone, I'd end up crying for them anyway. So they should just as well be there, and we just as well should stay home. Its cheaper, and maybe not worth the hangover the next day anyway. :)

I'm also taking the following 2 days off of that same week to put together and finish this rummage sale that we started ONCE AND FOR ALL!

During this time off, I would also like to shop for some work pants that FIT me, work on painting the fence, paint the porch (Jer's project), get rid of my cold, and purchase 2 new car seats.

My new work out plan has left me will little to NO free time in the evenings, but I hope to post another blog next week.
Stay tuned.

The Ouch

And don't ask about the "ouch" on his head. No one really knows what happened.

Box Tops!!!

My latest discovery is box tops. I ransacked my pantry, closets, and storage room in the hopes of finding some box tops.

This is how they work: You buy items at the grocery store, cut the box top off the packaging, and take your collection to a local school. For each box top, your school earns 10 cents.

I went online to find out what I have been throwing away that had a box top on it, and I about had a heart attack. So I downloaded the list if items, and ran about my house cutting out box tops. I earned my school $3.10!!!!

I couldn't believe the items I had in my pantry that had a box top, and all these years I've been literally throwing money out the window!!! (My toilet paper had box tops on it for Pete's Sake!)

Of course, now that I have small children, making sure that Carter and Isabelle's future schools are well equipped and have money is more important than ever.

So, I encourage all of you to visit the Box Top website, download the list, and start clipping those box tops!!!!!

And then take them to Harry Spence or Central, since my kids will probably be going there. :)

The kitchen remodel plan

Just for the record, this is my kitchen before the money saving remodel. Any suggestions are welcome. Lord knows I could use your input!

And this is the kitchen that I would love to have someday. So, we are proceeding with a blackish tile for the counter top, and a whiteish tile for the back splash. The kitchen cabinets are getting painted white, with brushed silver hardware. We have a new brushed silver faucet, and the sink will remain stainless steel. Jer will build an island, with seating in the back as pictured above. The door is getting painted, and the wallpaper above the cabinets will be a tan color.

Kitchen remodel

Being married is a two way street. There are times when I make decisions and Jer complies, and there are times when Jer makes decisions, and.....I comply.

For example, if I am adamant about buying Huggies over the store brand even though they are 2x the price, he will comply. Since, after all, I am the mommy and SURELY know more about diapers than he does. And, when I insist that I just cannot drive the old car w/o air conditioning because I will die, and demand to take the newer good car, he complies. Since, after all, I am the woman and he SURELY is tougher than I. And lastly, I am usually exempt from taking out the garbage, since he is much better at lugging things around than I. Especially when they stink (unless it is a baby, of course).

With all that said, here is Jer's latest decision that I will comply with, reluctant or not.

*Let me just remind you of the kitchen I was dreaming of. I did want to save the money to completely re-do it in a few years, including knocking out a wall or two and adding a small expansion.

Jer got a wild hair and decided that we need to re-do the kitchen with whatever money we can afford RIGHT NOW (without finishing the plumbing in my upstairs-almost-finished bathroom) and have it finished in the next 2 months. Not my idea of planning a remodel, but, this is how my husband makes decisions, and sometimes I have to comply. So, I am working with him.

We picked out a possibility for tile, some new curtains, and decided we were painting the cupboards, and agreed on some new hardware. Also, he wants to build an island for the middle of the room. I'd like a new appliance or two. So, the saga begins...

BUT DON'T WORRY, I'LL BLOG ALL ABOUT IT!

Saving Time

I thought that maybe I could get a few pictures posted, minus a few stories, for the sake of saving time. Apparently, everything around here is about efficiency, and saving time.

Time saver #1. I present Isabelle, forgoing mama feeding her the squash to eat her own toes. That's efficient, right?

Time saver #2. Toddlers are never time savers....especially when they are "hide-in".

Time saver #2. Finding Nemo. Carter will actually sit on the couch and watch that video for a solid 20 minutes. This is efficient because it gives me time to clean the kitchen all in one swoop, rather than a bit here, a bit there, throughout the day. Bonus if I get to the basement and put a load of laundry in without him noticing.

Time saver #3. Does playing in the pool count as a bath???