you take the good, you take the bad...

Today started out pretty good. Sawyer ate breakfast, got dressed in time, and Harrison slept until 8:2oAM...oh, and Mommy got a shower for once. After dropping S off at school, H and I headed to his doctor's appointment. His ear tubes looked good. Seems he pulled at his stitches too much, though. He is going to have a nice scar there, but it is healing, so that's ok. The BEST news was that his hearing is in normal range for 2 of the 3 tests that need to be administered. The third test is the ABR...we go back on 9/24 for that one. He has to either sleep or sit very still for that one, or we will have to schedule a sedation test. Crossing my fingers that he will be very, very sleepy. Harrison and I met Daddy for lunch after his appointment. Adult interaction in the middle of the day? Gorgeous! Harrison is in the cute "flirty" stage. Almost everyone we saw wanted to talk and smile at him today. Have I mentioned how much I am loving this age?

What I am NOT loving is kindergarten...luckily, even though he had a pretty bad week, Sawyer wants to go back. I want to simultaneously hug him and knock him upside the head :). I do think he is trying...we just all have to be patient with him. He is still so loving...always kissing and hugging me...telling me how much he loves me. I just want to gather those long colt-like limbs into my lap and hold him, and tell him that it is all going to be ok. I am looking forward to spending the weekend with my boys, even if we have to do a lot of homework. Stupid kindergarten. Who needs it?

Bah. Time for bed I think.

domestic

Today has been filled with laundry, vacuuming, and cooking. So far I have made banana blueberry muffins with blueberries that were about to go bad...they are awesome if I do say so myself. H helped...by sitting in his bumbo seat and supervising. There is 15 bean soup cooking on the stove for dinner. I got the fabric in the mail for my quilt. Days like this are strangely satisfying. If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I saw myself in this role, I would have laughed...but I am happy. So, so very happy :)




This morning I dropped Sawyer off at his friend's house, and Harrison and I went for a walk at the canal. It was awesome, and I think he enjoyed it too. We are in the sleep battling stage. Last night he slept in his room until 2:30AM, only waking up twice after I put him down at 7:30PM. Not bad. I am determined to help him sleep better than Sawyer did!

Can I keep it up?

With my boys growing before my very eyes, I realized that in the hours that I spend aimlessly surfing the internet while nursing the boy, I could be documenting our crazy life.
So, where to start?

Sawyer-
My "interesting" boy...Gregg went to his kindergarten welcome night last week, and when he asked Sawyer's teacher how he was doing...she said that he was "interesting". When G asked her to elaborate, she said something about him having trouble with large motor skills (i.e. he is afraid of heights and monkey bars). I immediately made plans to pull him out and homeschool until he left home, but I squashed my inner lioness and have made peace with my son being "interesting"....because, honestly, he IS! I do not know any other 5 year old that hordes socks and clothes so that they don't have to be washed which means he wears the same 2 "not favorite" shirts on endless loop, will only eat 2 flavors of
yogurt, has to have his feet/hands/legs on you at all times, etc, etc. BUT, he is interesting in good ways...like when he had every army man he could find paired up with it's own car yesterday...wish I had taken a picture. He loves manual labor...he gets excited about yard work. He and I planted 4 mums this weekend...the front yard looks so nice! And he is just about the sweetest thing ever...he tells me about 10 times a day that he loves me more than anything...that he loves me more than I love him...I tell him that is not possible. He also adores Harrison. ADORES him. And every day he really, really tries. We went to the park on Saturday, and he asked G to help him learn the monkey bars. Right after this picture was taken he feel flat on his face and there was much wailing...but he still tried!

Harrison-
What can I say, I am just LOVING having a baby in the house. I told G last night that it's not that I loved Sawyer any less...but I am just enjoying this stage with Harrison more, probably because it's not as scary! We started H on a schedule on Friday night. He did great the first night...bath, massage with lavendar lotion, Goodnight Moon, lights out, music, nurse, rocking char, bed. He was out in 20 minutes and slept in his own crib until 5AM. He has not done that well since, but it's a start :). His ear is healing up nicely after his little surgery a week ago. We go to the ENT on Friday for him to check his ear tubes and possibly do a hearing test to see if everything is normal. I am confident that he can hear us...
Right now, he is laying on my lap, nursing, napping, and holding his new taggie blanket that I made for him. If I ever see any sun today, I will take a picture of him with it. It is SO SOFT! I am trying to get him attached to a "lovie" for naptimes and bedtime.

I have a million loads of laundry to do. We were all caught up on Friday...oh well!

Meet our new temporary pet...

ELEPHANT PUMPKIN!

Sawyer's daycare does not let the kids dress up for Halloween (which was great since he wanted no part in dressing up this year), but they did hold a pumpkin decorating contest this year. They sent home a note saying that the pumpkins would be judged in 4 or 5 categories, Best in Show being the top prize. They also reminded parents that this was the CHILD's project, not the parents. Good thing I was reminded! But, honestly, how much can a 1 or 2 year old do on their own?

So, I put on my thinking cap, and came up with the above. Sawyer is VERY into elephants these days. Loves to visit them at the zoo, asks to wear his elephant shirt every freakin day, and carries around his toy elephant family. He is a wee bit obsessed. I suggested making an elephant pumpkin to Saw, and he was into it. We sent Daddy out to find a pumpkin with the longest stem he could while Sawyer and I were in IL. I had seen a nursery on my way home from work that had rows of long stemmed pumpkins in front, so that is where he went. On Monday, after we got home, Sawyer and I painted it. He did most of the painting himself (I should have taken photos to prove it, but I was too busy wiping up paint that he was flinging all over the floors and walls). While we waited for it to dry, I cut out some ears, but Mr. Man decided to raid my scrapbook supplies and he decided that puffballs should go in the ears. SURE...why not? :) We then glued on his eyes, stuck his ears in with some popsicle sticks, and declared him finished. Except...the whole night, he kept saying "he's sad. the elephant's sad. he's crying" I would ask him why he thought that, and he would just repeat it. After he went to bed, I decided to give the elephant a mouth, thinking that would solve the sad problem. It did. The next morning he said:
"he's sa.....OH....he's HAPPY!!!!"

Cool.

So at 4:30pm on Halloween, I get a call from G:

me "hello"
g "so you and your son have something else in common"
me "what"
g "his pumpkin won best in show out of the ENTIRE daycare...all of them up to age 6"

:)

my little overachiever. I'm so proud!

They gave him a medal (see the second picture) and a prize bag with another elephant, a hotwheels car, a pumpkin flashlight, and some other little things. He was SO PROUD. Look at that face :D

and that hair. My little hippie. I am thinking about getting some of the hair cut tomorrow. It is in his eyes, and I think it is driving him crazy. Wish us luck. The last time, he screamed so much that it wasn't a haircut as much as a hair drive by cutting. I had to basically give him a start to finish haircut at home...and my friends, I am not a hairdresser.

Happy Weekend!!

goals...long and short

First...I am DESPERATE to get this puppy in my hands...I still can't believe that they asked me to be a part of it. The editor emailed me on Monday and said that they shipped 6 copies to me, but I haven't gotten them yet, and I am taking Sawyer to my parent's house tomorrow, so wait I shall.

I have had so many amazing scrapbooking experiences this year, but I am always hungry for more. "She" who shall not be named ;-) was supposed to send me some product for MT, but because the release was so small, we didn't get anything...my fingers are crossed for CHA. I really want to join a kit club...I think that it would be good to have monthly deadlines. I always do my best work under pressure. I might have to go check out the Pub calendar and see what is available.

Long term goals for me...get this skin disease under control. my HS (hidradenitis suppurativa) is getting worse. I have avoided antibiotics and surgeries up until this point, but it has spread, and I have a huge fear that it will start to affect my ability to work, to parent, to create...
SO...I am going to slowly work up to a month long detox. This week is starting with sugar. Next week...caffeine...after that...processed foods. My goal is to cut out everything except for foods in their most basic forms. I need to get some vitamin supplements and all natural soaps also. Luckily, the natural soaps are SO MUCH better than they used to be. That part will be fun. Wish me luck :)

This is not new (the picture or the sentiment)...but I love this boy. so much. The newest cute thing is that he will bring me dora, or elephant, or some other lovie, and say "give him a kiss." "give him a hug." "He's HAPPY!!!" SO. FREAKING. CUTE. We have been tantrum free for the last couple of weeks, so I know we are due for a rough week...but I am going to relish this time!

I don't wanna work...

and I don't have to :). Best unexpected gift ever....oh, except for this little baby...




G surprised me with this last week...totally unexpected! And THEN, ordered this
for me....LUCKIEST GIRL EVER!!!!

My iPOD is one of those things that I never knew I wanted so badly. I had my eye on one of the colored nanos, but I am so happy that I have the 30G one. Just being able to load all of my pictures is so awesome. And, I really love when G surprises me for no reason at all...I really don't deserve it, but I love it!

And, last week this arrived in the mail. I saw someone in line with this baby at Target, and I had to have it....HAD TO HAVE IT. I am notorious for coveting something to the point of obsession. I looked online, nothing. I looked at stores, nothing. Found out that they only made a handful for the stores...special edition or something. So, onto ebay. I really don't like ebay...I don't trust it, and I am way to neurotic to bid on things. I found it, marked up $10 above MSRP, so I placed a bid on impulse, thinking that someone would outbid me before the time ran out....WRONG!! Luckily, G understands and to a point encourages my obsessive behavior....and I think it is so cute....and it's HUGE!

Hopefully we are taking Sawyer to the park, or maybe a pumpkin patch this weekend. The weather is supposed to be very "fall" tomorrow. A couple of weekends ago, we attempted the pumpkin patch...got snacks, jackets, camera, etc. We get there, scope out an in-demand wagon, and set off into the field. Sawyer HAD to pull the wagon, so we let him go ahead of us. I was happily snapping pictures, when I realized he was face down in a mud puddle. No amount of bribing, comforting, kissing could bring him out of the despair of getting his pants and shoes muddy...we had to go home. There is a "Pumpkin Train" in Noblesville I would like to try. You start off at the Transportation Museum and ride a real train to the pumpkin patch, and then after you get your pumpkins and apples, it takes you back. It sounds like something he would like, but the times unfortunately fall right in the middle of naptime.

I am off to scrap...:)

looking forward to today...

Because I have to work this weekend, I was able to take a half day today...HOORAY!!! I am meeting G for a lunch date (have to take the dates when we can get them), and then I will pick up Sawyer from school. Don't know what we are going to do yet. I might hit the scrapbook store to see if they have any copies of the Trendsetters book that I am in...actually, maybe I will do that BEFORE picking up Sawyer. He has turned into one of those whirling dervish children in scrapbook stores...

I was doing some searches on 2 year old milestones, and I think my guy is kind of ahead of the curve. He has been singing entire songs since he was about 26 months (we have him on video in August signing the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle). There were a lot of other things too. AND, I did an online height predictor....it said 6 feet 5 inches!!!! I don't doubt it, the kid looks much bigger than 2. It is starting to make me remember the problems that my parents had with Eric. Everyone always expected more out of him because he was so tall. If Sawyer is as tall as Eric, it will make for pretty funny family portraits :).

I can't believe it, but I am already thinking about Christmas. I want to get a jump on it this year...maybe get things or make things for extended family too. I was thinking about making a dress up chest for Sawyer....maybe getting Halloween costume accessories on clearance in a couple of weeks. I am not sure if he will be into it, but I really want to get him things that will fuel his imagination...he seems to have a pretty active! Last week, he spent about 30 minutes coming up to me with his little plastic wagon, and saying "I am going to the punkin patch to pick apples mama, I'll be right back". And then he would move forward a few feet, bend down and pick up his pretend apples, and then come back to me and say "I'm back, momma!". A couple of times, he bent down, picked up an "apple", and told me to "try it". He also added umbrellas to the inaginary pumpkin patch trip, and started walking around holding up his "umbrella" as he was pulling his wagon.

Last night, he sat down on the carpet, and quizzed his Daddy and I on flashcards. His teachers told us that he LOVES doing flashcards (this started in his 1 year old class), and that he is a wiz at them. So, he held them just like Miss Candace, and said "now what is this, momma?" He had a VERY hard time waiting for me to answer,...he beat me to the punch most times, but I was able to answer first a couple of times, and when I answered wrong, he was in hysterics. "No, Momma, that is a dog, not broccoli!!"



This is my newest layout. I have been working on Hillarie's family tree all week, and of course I have a million ideas for layouts floating through my head...but as soon as I scrapbook for myself, I am sure I won't be able to.