Yes, I know, I'm a mama

Jer was asking me tonight, "does it still weird you out that someone is running around calling you mama?"

Because for a long time, Jer and I were still in shock that we had even become a MOMMY and a DADDY...and that we were definately getting older...and it showed.

We were remembering the days (before marriage and children) when we lived in a tiny little 1 bedroom upper apartment, and drove junky cars. Jer would come home from work, I'd come home from class, I'd study and do homework and then join Jer on the couch and we'd watch some t.v....King of the Hill was our favorite. And then we'd ask each other if they were ready to go to bed, because back then we did EVERYTHING together. If Jer was ready for bed, then I was ready for bed, and vice versa. If I needed something from the store, I went. If I wanted to exercise, I did it. If I wanted to talk on the phone, I did. If I wanted to do nothing, I did nothing. You get the idea. Our schedules were WIDE open.

So, back to the original question...does it still seem strange that I'm a mama?

No way, Jose'! It's old news by now.

I am VERY MUCH aware that I have become a mommy. How could I not???? My life revolves around these children. My schedule goes according to Carter and Isabelle's schedules. And every morning when I look in the mirror, I'm reminded of how my body has changed, thanks to childbirth, weight gain, and breastfeeding.

Oh yes, every day, in and out, I am quietly reminded that I'm a mama...and it doesnt seem weird at all anymore. Its is what I live for. It is my primary duty: to help my children grow. Right now, my children are my LIFE. How could I forget.

I think I have come to terms with the fact that I'm not so young anymore. High school kids, they look like babies. College kids, they are just youngens. By the age of 25, you are starting to get wiser....and I thought I was SO grown up at 18.
*****REALITY CHECK********

Life is crazy.

And to think, we have gone from this:

to this:

Sucks her fingers

Did I ever happen to mention that Isabelle sucks her fingers????
She's so wonderful. She's definatelly different as a baby than her brother was.

Arts and Crafts

Today we woke up, and to our amazement, saw another bunny. And just like the last bunny, it disappeared under the bush. And we called for the bunny, and clapped our hands twice in a row real fast, and waited. Suddenly, another bunny appeared! Holy Cow, it worked! Carter shreiked in disbelief, and shouted "BUNNY!!!!". It's fun to see his excitement.

Today we also had some arts and crafts...okay, lets just call it coloring.

(Tell it like it is, mama)

Which, Carter also enjoyed.

What about my bathroom

Hmmmm, my Ugly Bathroom. What ever happened with my bathroom???

Answer: not much.

That's right folks. Not much has changed since the last time we visited my bathroom.

I still have no floor, walls, but not real ones. The window is gone, and the tub and surround are glued to the wall. There is still SO much to be done, and let me tell ya, its been SSSLLLLOOOOOWWW going. Jer still has to do the tile, the plumbing, the exhaust fan, the ceiling popcorned, new light put up, the hardware, the paint, the toilet...iye iye yei. There just isnt enough time in a day to work, feed children, clean children, clean kitchen, and remodel a bathroom.

I'm giving myself anxiety, which isnt good before bed, so lets just leave it at that.

Did I mention that I can't wait to have my bathroom back?????

Isabelle rolls, get back here bunny!

Isabelle, my darling little honey, who is 4 months and some weeks old, has rolled over today. She rolled from her tummy to her back. Not only once.
But twice.
In a row.
And then she was pooped and needed a nap.

She continutes to girgle at me, and coo, and shout out a couple times a day. She loves her brother, and he loves her.

Carter, who is helarious, loves to play with Isabelle. He got a new ball the other day, and he was so excited about it, that her ran over to Isabelle, and said "ISABELLE, BALL!!! BALL, ISABLELLE!!!" And he got right up into her face to make sure that she saw him, and heard him.

Lastnight Isabelle and I were sitting out on the porch, and brother Carter came to join us.
Up on mama's lap he got, and proceeded to clap Isabelle's hands while mama sang pat-a-cake.

Not only did Isabelle smile, Carter was loving it the whole time. And then, he performed for us. Jumping, and sliding, and bending over, and swinging his arms and yelling. He wanted Isabelle to smile at him so badly. She never did.


And here they are, the happy two-some. Good morning Isabelle!!!Carter insisted on laying in Isabelle's crib with her.
And as you can see, Isabelle doesnt mind one bit.



Upon awakening thismorning, Carter saw a puppy outside, and then we saw a bunny!!!! And that bunny tromped all over the front yard, up close to the window, just so Carter could see it real close. And Carter loved that bunny! Until that bunny went under the tree...and Carter never forgot the bunny. We stayed at the window for 15 minutes calling "bunny....b-u-n-n-y....come here bunny", and then Carter would clap his hands twice, as if he were calling for the dog. "Bunny! Clap-Clap"...and then he would look at me very seriously, while we waited for the bunny. And we waited. And we waited.
For some reason, calling for the bunny didn't work as well as calling for the dog.

Following the bunny episode, we went out back. To eat breakfast at Carters big-boy table. Which, he loves.



He is at an age where his personality is starting to show. And I think he will be a funny goose. He sure is a silly duck right now!

Coke can

Carter is really wishing he could get some Coke out of that can. Its not even opened, and he's been carrying it around the house for 30 minutes. So he goes to the porch and sits at his table (which he loves) to think about how to get that can open...

Most recent buys that I love

This here is called a Podee. I haven't recieved it yet, but its on order and has been shipped out, and I'm sure I'll love it. It sure beats her screaming when I can't sit down to feed her every time. And no, that is not a picture of Isabelle. These here are the shoes I'm getting for my birthday...soon. They are just like my other keens, but much breezier and cooler to wear. I know I'll love these too.

These here are the shoes I just bought and wore today for the first time. They say Danskos are very good shoes for your feet. We'll see. So far so good. They have to be good if all our pharmacists wear them, and many nurses wear them too. I do like the added height since I'm kind of a shorty.

This here is a Bumbo. Isabelle sits up in it and she can see the world. She loves it, and I do too! Her brother can't trample her as easily when she's not on the floor.

Give me strength

Lord,

Please be with me, and give me the strength and will-power to resist the temptations of cookies, chips, brownies, cakes and pies. Amen

Black strappy sandals

This morning after getting dressed for work and seconds before walking out the door, this was me: "For Pete's sake, what did I do with my shoes last night?" They were no where to be found. Not that I have all the time in the world to be looking for shoes in the morning, but I was frantically looking under the bed, under the couch, behind the chairs, on the porch, behind the doors, in the basement, in the closet (I just MAY have put them away, you know). I had even thought to myself, "I didn't leave them outside overnight, did I? Or, did I leave them in the car for some reason?"

I just couldn't figure it out, and I was sure they'd show up sooner or later, so I changed clothes, (I know, that's the part that the men will never understand) only because I couldn't wear those Capri's with any other pair of sandals, and put on a different pair of sandals.

After work, I spoke with Jer on his cell phone, and I asked him if he had seen my sandals. He said that he did, last night, and that Carter had them on the porch, and in the hallway, and that's all he knew.
Well, after hearing that Carter had them last night, that changed EVERYTHING. I went home and searched the house, but with something different on my mind..."if I were Carter, where would I put mama's shoes"....and I looked in the toys, and in his crib, in Isabelle's crib, in his wagon, in his play house outside, and even under his bed. And then it dawned on me. THE GARBAGE.
And sure enough, a couple inches down, under the coffee grounds from Jer's 4am coffee, and under the milk jug, and some other icky stuff...
I found my black strappy sandals.

And then I went out and bought a back-up pair.

Ode to Jer

Sunday was declared cleaning day...well, for Jeremy. I can't say that about the rest of us!


Jer cleaned up our bedroom, took down Isabelle's pack & play since she's sleeping in her own room now, and changed the sheets, changed the pillowcases (all 8 of them), rearranged the furniture to make more room, put away my clothes that were flung about the room, and made the bed, etc. Carter and I were so wowed by the room, we couldn't resist to jump on the bed.


And roll all around.


Messing up the sheets.


And throwing all the pillows on the ground.


Jer pretended not to notice and moved on to a different room. He had no comment for our behavior.


Then he did Carter's room, where Carter then took a nap.


In his bed.


Rolling all around.


And messing up all the blankets.


And then throwing them all on the floor.


And right after Carter went down for his nap, I was feeling a little tired myself. I felt so guilty for wanting to take a nap, after all Jer has done, (and he's still going), so I thought I'd get permission first. And of course, being the wonderful husband he is, he granted me a nap.

Into bed I climbed.


Messing up the sheets, and rolling all around.


Hehe, the man works so hard, and this is the thanks he gets???
We can't help ourselves but to love him to death. We wouldn't survive without him and his obsessive compulsive cleaning binges. Who would clean our whole house in a matter of 3 hours if he wasn't around?


Jer, we love you, and we can't live without you!

Special Time

He holds my hand all the way to the park, while carrying his sticks of course.

Carter and I spent the evening together. We had our "special time" together walking down to the park, and finding secret paths in the back yard.

Sweet Sweet Isabelle

Crack is wack

CRACK IS WACK.

My Ugly Bathroom

So, here is my Ugly Bathroom. Uglier now than it was before we started this project, but none the less, its always been an Ugly Bathroom. When Jer finishes it, we can stop running to the downstairs bathroom to pee. We can stop bathing Carter in a rubbermaid tub, and Isabelle can have her baths in the tub, not the sink.

When its finished, we can take the plastic off the carpet in the hallway. I actually had a friend ask me why it was that we had plastic down the entire hallway...no, its not because of the children. Its because of my Ugly Bathroom. When it's finished, we can stop freezing ourselves out in the cold dingy basement bathroom, and Jer and I will once again have seperate bathrooms.

And here is the bathroom I will have when its all done, maybe by the year 2010. Complete with a Christmas tree, I hope. The children and I will be so happy to have our upstairs bathroom back...what is taking daddy so long????

Chatty Batty

Isabelle, my little 4 month old baby (as of today!) amazes me with her strength, and personality. Maybe that's because I'm comparing her to her older brother when he was a baby, and boy, was he ever a bump on a log compared to her! She is almost rolling over, and I watch her try so hard. She will scoot around on the floor, and kick kick kick! She loves to talk, and will even blow air bubbles out her mouth to mimic me! What a smarty pants! She makes so many more sounds than Carter ever did at this age. But, he is making up for it now. BELIEVE ME.

So, Carter, who will turn 2 in August, has begun chatting up a storm. I pick him up from day care and he's saying "puppy-puppy-puppy-puppy-puppy-puppy", you know how kids do that, they repeat a word without taking a breath of air in between....then he changes the word to "Geo, Geo, Geo, Geo, Geo, Geo Geo..ect., who happens to be the puppy at daycare. Then we are in the car, and now he says "car?-car?-car?-car?-car?-car?-car?-car?, then mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, then daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, dadddy,....you get the picture.

After 10 minutes of this, he just starts babbling...bong, chink, pssst, dap daup,bu dap, bdeep, dabut. its crazy the things he comes up with, and it just cracks me up.

Later in the evening, I was feeding Isabelle on the couch, and Carter pulled off her sock, found her toes, and started to wiggle them one by one while mama said "this little piggy went to market, this little piggy.... I turn my head to look out the window, and Isabelle shrieks at the top of her lungs...Carter has bitten her piggies!!!!!!!! He bit her so hard, and the indentations of his teeth were so deep, that I would have been in pain too. What a naughty boy, and this I told him too.

Jer's hours have been so awkward lately. Since Sunday he's been working second shift, which is 3pm to 1:30am. He comes home, feeds Isabelle, and will stay up for a little bit and come to bed usually by 4am. When I leave in the morning with the kids, he is sleeping. Then when I get done with work at 6pm, he's at work, so I pick up the kids. I feed the kids. I bathe the kids. I put the kids to bed. I wake them up in the morning. I take them to daycare, and do it all over again. Where did our daddy go??? We miss him when his hours are crappy.

Happy Mother's Day

What a nice morning...

Jer let me sleep in for an extra hour, made me breakfast, what ever i wanted. He made my favorite, french toast. he even brought me my coffee while i was feeding isabelle, and gave me a card. in the card was this wonderful picture of my children. then i even got a gift!!!! he bought us microsoft windows 2007, which is about friggen time. we've been needing it for a while now.

But that's not the best part of today. jer is actually at home. Usually he is working on the weekends and the zoo is left for me to manage. his help is wonderful. we can actually enjoy spending time with each other. For a few days out of the week we actually function like real families. the rest of the time there is no time to do anything but eat, clean, and go to bed.

Today i will visit my mother, who is having a mothers day lunch for our family. when carter wakes from his nap we will go there.

Mother's day rules!

Little Instructions

i don't consider myself an overly religious person, but i am a christian, and i do have my beliefs.
yes, i am inspired by god.
unfortunately, i have to admit, i forget he is there day in, and day out.
i stumbled over this book that Greg gave me for Christmas in 1999, and it gave me all kinds of 'warm fuzzies'. some of which, I'd like to share.

1. "My job is to take care of the possible, and trust God with the impossible"....if only i remembered that while giving birth to carter, i would have been nicer.

2. "When Mother Teresa received her Nobel Prize, she was asked, "What can we do to promote world peace?" She replied, "Go home and love your family.".....and i do! i love my family more than anything. although, sometimes its challenging, when you have an uncle like Duane.

3. "Give your troubles to God: He will be up all night anyway"....sounds so nice, but will he feed Isabelle???

4. "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless"....i always feel good for days after someone says nice things about me. i hope i can instill this kindness in my children.

5. "She opens her mouth with skillful and godly Wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness - giving counsel and instruction. Proverbs 31:26"....now why doesn't Jeremy understand that my words are 'skillful and of godly Wisdom'????? he should listen to me more often i think....

6. "The grass may be greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed"...I'll stick with my own grass, thank you. there are times when i wish i was living a different life, and then carter will say 'ma-ma' and give me a smooch. poof, the thought is gone.

7. "Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence"....i consider carter and Isabelle a work in progress. i do hope they will make me proud. I'm so excited to see!!!

8. "I would rather walk with God in the dark, than go alone in the light"......it sucks to be alone. i wish i remembered that I'm not alone more often. i know I'm not alone, sometimes it just feels like it. i always want to be with the people i love.

9. "The best bridge between hope and despair is often a good night's sleep"....once again, God, do you feed babies???10. "A pint of example is worth a barrel full of advice".....again, i am what my children will mimic. please remind me of this from time to time. thanks.

11. "A coincidence is a small miracle where God prefers to remain anonymous"....i have always been a believer that things happen for a reason. good things, bad things, all things. there is a lesson to be learned, a reward to be given, or an experience to build on. and i believe that god has a plan for us all, and that he is behind everything that happens to us. we just have to open our eyes to it and recognize it to really understand the message.