Real Quick

Brad hasn't been counting. Out of the blue yesterday he counted up to 11! So random, but yea Brad.

Last night as I was putting Cole to bed, he wanted to say a special prayer. Do you know who for? He wanted to pray for my grandpas that are in Heaven. I love his little heart with all of mine.

Carried Away

Ok - the countdown is on! Here is my to do list. I think I might be in over my head but totally do-able right? I've already briefed the boys that this week is serious and I will expect them to keep their toys upstairs. I think they understood and will comply to this request.

*Do all laundry AND put away. This will be a milestone because I don't think all the clothes have been put away since....... June 1st. It's my least favorite chore ever.
*Dust the whole house
*Clean all the bathrooms
*Change litter box
*Mop floors by hand
*Take Mike Victor to Boise to get fixed
*Detail clean the bathrooms
*Detail clean the kitchen
*Find the floor of the office and file all the paperwork. This hasn't been done since.... June 1st. Get it ready for our house guest to stay while we're in Hawaii.
*Vacuum (no problem there) and Steam Clean the entire house
*Tackle the boys rooms and organize the toys
*Make grocery list and shop
*Prepare special meals in advance
*Bathe the dogs
*Clean the windows
*Brush the spiderwebs off the front door
*Clean out the car, detail
*Paint fingernails and toenails, maybe a nice facial mask
*Lose 10 pounds and fit into old clothes
*Take care of all MOPS planning through October


All of this is to be done between meetings, soccer practices, Bible Study, haircuts, school, and nightly plans. Totally do-able. Honey, please overlook some details if it doesn't ALL get taken care of..... especially the 10 pounds part. I'll try to adjust you to reality slowly. Now, if anyone catches me on the computer in the next week, please recite this list to me.

Meet Bluebell

Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? She's finally here. Meet the newest member of our family, Bluebell. I've named her that because she's blue and ever since Amy Garrison told me about BlueBell Ice Cream's latest flavor Candy Jar, I can't get it out of my head. (inquiring minds: it's full of all different kinds of crushed candy bars. CAN YOU IMAGINE?!?!)

Bluebell is my 7th Anniversary gift from Keith. Typically men should shy away from appliances as anniversary gifts, but this is an exception. She's perfect. I think Dysons should make their way into every home in America. If I ran the world, it would be standard issue. They'll be like televisions and computers... you watch. They'll catch on. I got to test run my friend's vacuum, but it did not prepare me for today. I love her. She's light, easy to handle, not very loud, good at her job, and leave the prettiest little vacuum tracks.

If I were rich all of you would be looking at your next Christmas present, but.... I'm not. It's the thought that counts right? To those of you who have been telling me to get on the bandwagon sooner, I'm sorry. You were right. Wendy, my heart aches for you a little more today. You'll be reunited soon ((hugs))

Undeserving

I have the greatest friends. I wish I was articulate enough to compose the most touching letter to each and every one of you. I have been beyond blessed in the girlfriend department and I truly treasure time with you all.

I USE to have these two friends by the name of Erin and Ashley. I say "use to" because I'm not sure what my status is to them after this morning. They volunteered to help out with MOPS this morning and were in the infant classroom. I peeked my head over and there were NINE babies screaming all at once. They are supermoms, but there's really only so much human ears can take. I kid you not Erin was bottle feeding two different children and changing a diaper all at the same time. Ashley was bouncing a crying infant in her arms and with her leg rocking a bouncy seat. And with all those tears came runny noses. I think we lost count in the nose wiping department. AND THEN - they stayed and helped me clean up! Pretty great, huh?

They helped me out because they have big hearts. I appreciate it more than words and I'm sorry for the constant ringing in your ears for the rest of the day. It would be a very depressing life without my military family here in Idaho. Thanks again. Please answer the phone when I call you later this afternoon!

NNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what was screaming inside my head when I found this:





Thanks Brad. That trick couldn't wait till Daddy gets home? Now what do I do??? Move the guest bedroom upstairs by myself, somehow block the stairs in case he tries this in the middle of the night??? Watch out world, there's no stopping him now.

I.T.D.M.Y.C.I.D.K.W.W.

In other words: If this doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will.

Emotionally, this has been a rough summer. Keith has been gone almost 4 months and the boys have been missing him like crazy. If ever there was a dream Daddy, it would be Keith. He's the greatest mixture of fun, crazy, stability, honesty, caring, mentoring, and patience. Since he's been gone, Keith has sent packages, presents, postcards. He calls daily and talks with the boys. Keith has tried to do everything in his powers to keep in touch with them. Reminding Cole and Brad of his love for his two little buds.




However, I think the best gift has been a book he wrote for the boys. It's affectionately known as "Daddy's Book" around here. With a little help from Shutterfly, Keith's book is full of pictures and stories of what he's been doing. He explains to their little hearts why he had to leave. He details his trip and captions the pictures highlighting all the important parts (read:BUGS).







We read it everyday. I wish you could hear how excited Cole and Brad get as we go through page after page. I wish you could see the devotion in their eyes looking at pictures of Keith. I wish their daddy was home... soon. Keith, on behalf of your kids, thank you for this book. You're a good daddy and we love you more than words.

Reality Check

Today was a reality check. Boise Botanical Gardens hosted a Mad Hatter's Tea Party. GREAT! That sounds like fun. Alice in Wonderland is a fun movie, the boys will like it. So we drive out to Boise, pay to get in, grab our tickets and head to the Mad Hat Making Tables. This set the tone for the rest of the day....

Reality Check - I have boys. Boys that are obsessed with getting dirty, boys that have the attention span of a fly, boys that can't sit to watch a movie unless strapped in a car seat, boys that don't like to sit and color or work on anything crafty. Ashley and I crafted.. the boys looked for bugs.







They amused me and my efforts to do different things and I love them with all my heart. I promise... next year I won't forget Bug Day.

Birds and the Bees

Cole told me that kissing on the lips for a long time means your pregnant.



ummm... I think I'm going to let him believe this to be true for a very very very long time. See, self teaching is the way to go!

Jumping Jacks

Is this cute or what? I love little kids doing things for the first time. I'm tempted to not teach him the correct way of doing jumping jacks. I could watch this all day.

Consumer Reports

Do you also know of my love for vacuuming? It's my favorite chore and do it almost every day. However, like a skilled surgeon.. you're only as sharp as your scalpel. I totally just made that up, but you get my point. I am not happy with the vacuum I have now. Currently I am the owner of a Eureka The Boss Smartvac. It's serving it's purpose, but there are several things I can't stand about it. Did you know this vacuum is rated #1 by Consumer Reports for a bag vacuum in price and preformance? Mind boggling, but that's another issue.

My heart and eye has been very curious with the Dyson vacuums. However, my brain kicks myself when it comes to the price. Do you know how many Coach purses you can get for that price?! WAIT.... I have to be sensible.... Or how much compounded interest that could generate in a college account for your young children? (if you go to a Coach outlet TWO purses!!)

Today I've conducted a very scientific study. I vacuumed my carpet with the Eureka Boss and then vacuumed my carpet with my friends Dyson. I think the pictures speak the results.

The Eureka Smartvac

Floor after vacuuming with Eureka Smartvac. Keep in mind the floor has been vacuumed 3 times in the past 4 days.

The Dyson with an empty container

The floor after vacuuming with the Dyson - the exact same areas. I did not try to be sneaky and move furniture to get more dirt.

I accidently dropped the container on my way to dump it, so the evidence is on the vacuum.

There is the excess of the container.

Verdict: The Dyson picked up dirt the Eureka missed for the past 4 days. I did not WANT to like the Dyson. I did not want the Dyson to pick up more. I don't need more of a reason to justify spending that much money on a vacuum. <<<owell>>> I guess I'm a material girl living in a ma ma terial, ma ma terial, ma ma terial world.

MOPS Kickoff

Have I ever told you how much I love MOPS? Yep, I'm kinda a nerd when it comes to this group. A total stranger knocked on my door when Cole was just a baby. It was late afternoon, I was still in my pj's, probably with spit up and food staining my shirt, and of course the house was a mess..... so it's totally a God thing I even opened the door. She handed me a brochure and invited me to MOPS. Cole was 10 months old and I had NEVER left him anywhere. Thinking of leaving him in the kids program almost kept me away. Again, a God thing that gave me courage to try it out. I went. I loved it. The impact MOPS had on my life as a new mom was a key part in leading me to Christ. I seriously would still be lost without it.

When we left Oklahoma saying goodbye to my MOPS friends was the hardest. Even harder was finding out there wasn't a group in North Carolina. That's when Gina became such a blessing in my life. I was pregnant, in a new town, and the first spouse meeting I went to... lovely Gina announces she wants to start up a MOPS group and is looking for help! We worked really hard trying to get it started, but ultimately it never got off the ground. I am still grateful for the experience because the trials we faced then prepared me for Idaho!

We got to Idaho and another new group was starting their very first year. Patty held a military MOPS on base, and I think she did an excellent job. Again, we faced many military hurdles so we decided to take the group to Calvary Chapel.

This morning was our first meeting at Calvary Chapel and it was such a success. God is truly amazing in how everything pulled together. I think the moms had a great time! (Gina, there is only 2 of us on steering and we had 25 moms with almost 40 kids!) So, today kicked off my 5th year with MOPS and I am pumped! I pray this group grows together and helps meet the needs of the moms attending... spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Whew... I feel like I can relax today. Our next meeting is only 2 weeks away. I wish you all could join us! If not, please check out a MOPS group in your area. You won't regret it!

Good Night Crib

Brad is again trying to grow up on me. I only moved Cole out of the crib because I needed it for Brad. This time around I swore I would keep Brad in there as long as I could. WHY does he think he wants a big boy bed?

Last night Brad wouldn't sleep in his crib because he said there were dragons in there. Right. (thank you Cole) Today he wouldn't nap because..... there were dragons in there. Tonight, you got it, dragons. I pulled out all the tricks and I can't get that kid to sleep in his crib. So in my infinite mommy wisdom, I decided to keep him up. He'll have to go to sleep sometime right? Wrong. He stayed up and talked about "nokey nokey" (Pinocchio) Then at 11pm when I figured he was tired enough to fall asleep without fighting we headed upstairs for bed.

SIDE NOTE:I turned the lights off and he said "oh, it dark!" When did he learn that? It just dawned on me that he knows the differences. I don't recall TEACHING light/dark or day/night, but he's learning it anyway. Bittersweet.

I tell him to go into his room and Brad matter-of-factly said "No, I sleep in Co-Be's bed" and walked away. He crawled into bed next to his brother and is fast asleep.

Is this a phase? Does he just want someone close by because he's scared? Does this mean he needs a big boy bed? I can't do it. I can not take down that crib. I don't want to take it down thinking it might not be used again. So, he's going to have to tough it out till Keith gets home. And I'm not strong enough to carry the mattress upstairs by myself. I refuse to give a big boy room to my infant son.

Quick what are some nice dragon movies I can sway him with? Parenting at it's finest.

We Have a Cuspid

Another big day in the mouth of Brad! He has a lower cuspid poking through his gum line. This should be logged in a baby book, but my boys are dentally challenged. Actually, it appears he's not THAT far off with his lower cuspids. He's just over 26 months for the average 17-23 month range. Not shabby!

The upper gum line is what's worrying me. He's missing an upper lateral incisor. The average 9-13 month old has em'. Over a year behind there. He's also missing an upper cuspid.

Well, I love that gappy mouth smile. He can sway me with the gummy bridge. And if it keeps the girls from calling or strutting across my doorstep, then I just might never take him to the dentist. That's normal, right?

EDITED TO ADD: The other lower cuspid broke through 9-14-08!! Now we're minus 3 teeth and counting!

Best.Idea.Ever.

Why hasn't someone told me about this wonderful store? Really! We've been here a year and 2 months and I am regretting not finding this place 14 months ago. I'm sure some people are laughing at this. It's like I've discovered Wal-Mart. Get this - THEY HAVE FREE CHILDCARE!

They have a Starbucks, groceries with a nice organic section and produce, household goods liking Bed Bath and Beyond, flowers, clothes, furniture, a jewelry store, toys, shoes, camping gear... and all of it can be covered while your kids are in the PLAYROOM! Too bad it's in Boise, but just might be worth the drive. I'm not kidding, the drive alone might be worth drinking Starbucks with friends while kids are being watched for free. Anyone want to have a girls day out at Fred Myer? Maybe I wouldn't be so excited about this place if I wasn't at the tail end of a deployment. Dang Air Force has me all excited over a grocery store. I have to get out more.