Monday, June 25, 2007

Word Association

Vessel - me.
Humpty Dumpty - me.
HOT (temperature...obviously) - me.
Popsicle - OKAY!!
Ankles - tree trunks
Tree Trunks - my ankles
Got lost at Ross today and had his mother in tears - LB
Mother of the Year - anyone but me.
Humpty Dumpty, crying and shaking in a B-rated discount store - sad
Exhausted - me
DONE - me
Needs 8 more weeks in the vessel - Jack
Easily irritated - me
Excited - me
Worried - me
In love with 4 boys - me
A mess of emotions - me
Super lucky - me

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Sort of a dark, charcoal gray

My oldest is driving me up the wall. Do I need to let some stuff go? Am I being too hard on him? Not being smart about which battles to pick? Probably. Is it him or is it me? It's me. In all honesty - it's usually me. My big, beautiful boy is a wonderful kid. He asks a lot of questions. He's sort of demanding at times. Relentless when he sets his mind to something. He isn't as affectionate as he used to be. That's probably my fault too. I kiss the little one more than I kiss the big one. That's crappy of me. It isn't intentional, it just is. My big boy is getting really good at making smart ass remarks when he gets into trouble. I guess I shot myself in the foot on that one. I can guess where he learned that sort of attitude. Osmosis. He's also charming and smart and sweet and inquisitive. He's growing up. I'm so incredibly taken with him, and proud of him, but sometimes I'm only half listening. I can't snowball him anymore. He calls me on stuff. And I'm just tired....and I feel SO guilty when I'm not the Mom he deserves. I realize I'm being vague....it's just that this post is a result of insomnia, and having to get up to pee for the 450th time today. So I'm not into details. I'm so tired, yet so awake.

My little boy. My little boy is the sweetest part of my life right now. He unfortunately drives his brother insane, and today that earned him a wooden train to the ear (from his "had it up to here" brother) which resulted in a really scary looking double goose-egg type thing complete with blood. Keeping an eye on it. Anyway, my rose colored glasses are permanently fixed on my little boy at this point. More and more, I'm finding myself just gazing at him. Watching his perfect lips as he eats his peanut butter sandwich....smiling at him like a love struck teenager and then starting to cry when he hugs me as tight as he can. Loving his nose, and his laugh, and his bad hair. Hormones? Sure. With every pregnancy, I'm reminded of how effing (pardon the blatant fake F-word) psychotic (maybe not in the *true* sense of the word - thankfully - but you get the picture) I become. NEVER AGAIN. But maybe I'm sort of mourning the loss of my little boy as the baby of our family? I don't know. I can't wait for this to be over. I'll take a newborn crying all night over this crazy state of mind any day of the week. This is our first consciously planned pregnancy, and I'm happy about having a new baby - but with this blog as my witness - NEVER again. It just isn't worth what I go through mentally. I worry about my boys constantly, and against my will - I find myself imagining my life without them. All the terrible things that could happen. It makes me cry, and I know that there wouldn't be life without them....and so I will myself to knock it off already. But it's an exhausting process. Some people have postpartum issues - my issues are during pregnancy. The baby is my reward for a job well done, and my ticket out of this mess. Thankfully - I don't go through this all the time. It just comes in cold, murky, waves.

Well, heartburn is pulling me away, as is my bladder. Again.
Tums. The bathroom. And hopefully - sleep.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The Difference

Let me just apologize up front for having such a "boys mom" attitude about this. I'll also add at this point, that I know there are sweet, nice, friendly, little girls in the world - lots of them!

The Scene -

Today we went to a sorta-local petting zoo/park/amusement ride place. One of BB and LB's favorite attractions, is this big maze. While running around the maze, they found a couple of other little boys to play with who were about the same age. The boys were all fast friends, immediately striking up a game of hide and seek, followed by Tag, etc. They were holding hands, laughing, and having a great time together. When we went our separate ways, the boys waved to each other - "See you later!"

We went on to do other things, and later in the day came back to the maze. This time, there were little girls to play with. LB ran up to them and said "Hi guys, whatcha doing?" Bratty Little Witch from Hell #1 put her hands on her hips, stuck her face up close to my little angel's perfectly angelic face and told him very nastily that he wasn't in their game and to go away. Bratty Little Witch from Hell #2 pushed him. It was of course, all my power at this point not to rip this kids head off by the pony tails and throw her - pink frilly skirt and all - over the wall of the maze. Her idiot mother saw the whole thing and didn't say anything. UNBELIEVABLE. I told LB not to play with them because they were brats. Yes. I said exactly that. LB looked up at me and asked me why they didn't like him. I told him that it didn't matter whether or not they liked him, because they were mean little people who didn't deserve to play with him. Yes. I said exactly that. By this time, BB's protective instincts had kicked in. He was shadowing LB....just making sure that no one else was going to mess with his little brother. If anyone was going to push LB around - it was only to be BB. That's how it is in sibling world. I was talking to another Mom who was there, when I heard a bit of a commotion going on in the maze. Once again, these mean little girls were picking on LB. I heard BB tell them that they were being "jerks" and to leave his brother alone. I know, I know, it isn't okay to call names. But honestly, I'm just glad I didn't hear either of my boys call anyone a "shit head" as they've been known to do. Plus, I was proud of BB for sticking up for his little brother.
I had had it with these hideous little creatures and yelled "ICE CREAM TIME." My wonderful sons came out of the maze, and we left.

I'll say this as diplomatically as I can because I have friends who read this blog who happen to have darling, wonderful little daughters (not nasty ones like those mentioned here) :

Girls and boys sure are different.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Yeah....that pregnancy test was right.


Here I am, heading into the eighth month. Holy.Freakin'.Cow. According to the scale, I've only gained 14 pounds - YAY ME! It sure does feel like more though.....ugh. And of course, as I mentioned in my previous post - there was cheesecake to be had....and before that we went out to dinner....and I had a steak because it's been so long since I had a steak. So who knows - I may be up 5 lbs. since Friday.









































Thank you


Honey, Thank you for being so good at this whole parenting thing. I could never pull this off without you! Thank you for loving our little boys so very much - and thank you for being so very good at showing them that you do. Thank you for being so damn handsome. You are at least 50% of why our kids are so cute. Thank you for being so good to me. You may not tear up in sad movies, or always know exactly what to say, but you are absolutely perfect for me and I wouldn't change a thing about you. Thank you for this family. You and the boys are my dream come true. We've gone through some "stuff", and I know there's more "stuff" to come - but we always get through it. Thank you honey, for being the best husband to me, and father to my children that I could ever ask for. Happy Father's Day!
PS -
Thank you for saying that the blueberry cheesecake that I made you was way better than bakery bought. I actually believe you!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Old School Summer Fun






Fellow children of the 80's -






Remember the Slip 'n Slide? Aka "Slip 'n Go Careening onto The Pavement?" or "Slip 'n Break Your Ass on a Sprinkler Head?"


Well, they still sell them and boy have they improved! Lots of nifty safety features. Well....not lots.....but at least they have bumpers at the ends of them now, and also they come with "lanes" so that you and the neighbor kid don't both make a run for it at the same time....causing your Slip 'n Slide to look like a crime scene after a gang fight.


It has been so hot the last couple of days. Grandma (always saving the day) bought the boys a Slip 'n Slide. The best $20 ever spent. The boys have been having an absolute blast on this thing.


LB started out wearing swim trunks and a diaper because I couldn't find the swim diapers and no - he hasn't signed on the dotted line with regard to potty training. He has until the Fall before we start getting military about it.


Anyway, the swim trunks wouldn't stay on what with all the slipping and sliding, so we took them off. The diaper by this point weighed about 10 pounds from all the water, so we took it off and put a pair of undies on him.



You can tell from the picture that he was THRILLED with this arrangement. So off they went. He did the rest of his slipping and sliding in his birthday suit. I got some darling pictures but I can't post them because you know how paranoid I am.....with names, places, butts, etc.
Doesn't he look possessed in this picture?


Anyway, it's hot. I'm miserable and I'm in the "OH MY GOD" stage of this pregnancy. Suddenly (I mean really suddenly - like overnight suddenly), I look like I swallowed a basketball.....and I'm only going to get bigger! My maternity shirts are all mocking me "Ha ha, didn't you read the fine print? We are SECOND TRIMESTER WEAR. Now that you're heading into the 8th month, I don't know if this is going to work out between us.....maybe if you just don't reach for anything we can do our best to cover the belly panel on your jeans"
What has been fun, is that BB has been able to feel the baby kicking almost daily and he thinks it's really cool. So do I! Jack is lucky to have BB - the sweetest, most tolerant big brother on earth.



Monday, June 11, 2007

A day in the life

6:30am - Big Al has just left for work, and BB has already been up for an hour or so. He's such an early riser. BB comes in to ask me when I'll be getting up, and in the process wakes up his brother. This is usually how our day starts, and it's maybe my favorite 10-15 minutes of the day. LB almost always wakes up happy, wrapping his little arms around my neck, kissing my cheek, and smiling with his eyes still closed. BB gets in with us and we have a "sandwich" hug which gets us all giggling. It's all fun and games until they start hiding under the covers and thrashing my bed. I get irritated and afraid that they're going to hurt their baby brother before he has a chance to leave my uterus, and head downstairs to make coffee.



6:45am - Empty the dishwasher while I'm waiting for my coffee. Yes, it's regular 'ol french roast. Not decaf. Both of my boys did just fine with my having two caffeinated beverages per day after the first trimester, and this one will too.



7am - Pour my coffee, turn on Caillou (thank you PBS, for saving my ass - daily) and check my email, read a couple of blogs, etc. For the record, if there was a ever a cartoon-kid that deserved to be kicked repeatedly in the shins - it's Caillou. But the boys sit there happily and watch this insipid little nightmare, so whatever.



7:30am - Make the boys breakfast. Frozen waffles, yogurt, berries. Take clothes out of the dryer and put another load of laundry in to wash. Praise myself for taking a shower last night, note that hair is acceptable, put a little make-up on and get dressed. Make grocery list and figure out what we're having for dinner this week. Decide that Mexican food is in order for tonight. Jack and I want Mexican food. Get boys dressed and break up one or ten fights.



9am - Eat a bowl of cereal and feel like a jerk when I tell LB to back off. NO, you can't have my cereal. I've given you my blood, my soul, and my entire life. I'm happy to have done so, but this cereal is MINE.



9:15am - Realize that there are still yogurt splatters on the table and a half eaten waffle under the table. Make boys clean up this mess because that's the right thing to do. Once they scurry off to play - clean the mess again because they are really bad at cleaning. Boil 4 chicken breasts for the enchiladas that we will have for dinner. Note that I hate the smell of boiling chicken breasts, but again - praise self for going this route rather than buying the rotisserie chicken at the store. This is a healthier and cheaper option. Yay, me. While it's cooking, clean the bathroom. Because the only smell that trumps boiling chicken, is that of Scrubbing Bubbles. "You are the lowest form of life" I say to myself as I wipe pee-splatters off the toilet. How hard is it to aim you guys?? I mean, really. Freakin' neanderthals.



10am - Remind the boys that they may not throw trains at each other or the trains will go away for a really long time. Dammit, they have called my bluff. Take this particular set of trains away and redirect. Break out a couple of new sticker books, pads of paper, pens, etc. "La, la, la,la, la." "La, la, la, la, la, la" says my cell phone. OOh! A text message! Who could it be? I never get text messages! How exciting! Or....maybe not. It's Verizon. Cell phone bill is very late. Oops. Get online, pay cell phone bill.



10:15 - Make snack for boys - bugs on a log. BB tells LB that his bugs aren't actually bugs - they're turds. LB feigns crying and tells me that his brother has put turds on his snack. I remind LB that this is exactly the kind of tattling that I won't deal with, and NO. Those are not turds. Throw BB a look that says both: "Please don't torture your brother, it only makes my life harder" and "Good one son! Glad my sarcasm and eye-rolling attitude toward life is rubbing off on you. You'll be a certified smart-ass by the time you reach adulthood, and you'll have me to thank."



11am - The clouds open up and millions of bluebirds carry ribbons across the sky. Okay, not really - but close. Grandma calls. She is off today and will pick up the boys at noon, take them to lunch, and then to the park so that they can ride their bikes. I think about how much I adore this woman while I'm shredding chicken and washing the pot that I cooked it in.



11:15am - Fold 4 loads of laundry and put them all away. Wander into what will be Jack's room and decide, once and for all - that we should just paint the room white. Not aqua, not light green (always looks so institutional to me), just white. His decor is adorable on it's own and loud walls will take away from it, the lighting is iffy...we'll go white. Look in his dresser drawers at all of his darling new clothes (because I saved NOTHING from the boys. That's what happens when you don't have a garage, and only two closets in the whole house. You can't really save anything) and feel so excited that he's almost here! Reverie of baby love is broken when I hear a thunk, and then crying. ARGH!



11:45am - Apply sunscreen and help with shoes. Grandma comes and takes the boys. Pick up some toys that they should have picked up before leaving, wipe down the counter tops, sweep kitchen floor, and make a sandwich. Throw sandwich along with a bottle of water into my purse.



12:15pm - Eat sandwich in the car, and go to the drug store to pick up a couple of prescriptions, some toiletries, and Father's Day cards. Grudgingly pick out a Father's Day card for my Father-in-law (so that Big Al can sign his name to it and put it in the mail) in the ultimate show of marital co-dependence and/or enabling behavior. It's all about keeping the peace - I remind myself. Go to gas station because I LOVE spending $60 on gas, and note that my left thigh is going numb. Excellent. As I lower myself back-end-first into my car (okay - MINIVAN), I hear "beep......beep.....beep" sounds in my mind, because I do indeed feel like a delivery truck who has yet to make it's delivery.



1:15pm - Go to post office. Stand in long line. Thigh still numb. Go to mail package and realize I have left my wallet in the car. Catch irritated looks from other post office customers. "Oh, you can all just kiss it" I think to myself as I go to fetch my wallet.



1:45pm - Go to grocery store. "Do you want help out with that?" asks the nice 17 year old boy . "No thanks, I'm okay." My standard answer. What I should say is: "Help?? With this $200 load of groceries which for some reason consists largely of heavy items?? Noooo.....I'm SUPER WOMAN! Seven months pregnant and functioning on one feeling leg?? Nonsense. Tell you what, why don't you balance that gallon of milk on my head and gather your friends around to watch my latest trick.........."



3pm - Get home and put all the groceries away. Rinse the grapes and put them in a colander. Cut up two small watermelons and put them into a container. Wash enough romaine lettuce for 4 sandwiches, dry it, and put it into yet another container. One less step at 11pm at night, when I'm making Big Al's sandwich for his lunch the next day. Mix the shredded chicken with some other ingredients for the enchilada filling and put in the fridge so that I'm one step closer to having dinner ready. Eat a peach. And a few wheat thins. Drink a Diet Pepsi because I will need it if I am to stand a chance in hell of finishing this day. Remember that the boys sandals from the beach are rotting in the back of the van. Go back out to the van, hose off sandals, and leave them in the sun to dry.



4pm - I am SO TIRED. Lay down on the couch.....



4:03pm - Phone rings, it's my Mom. "Hi Honey, can you come and get these guys?" put flip flops on......go get boys.



4:30pm - All the boys are home. Assemble enchiladas - one pan for tonight, one for the freezer. Make a salad. Cut up a separate bowl of carrots, celery and cucumbers for BB who won't touch lettuce with a ten foot pole. Figure that while I'm at it, and am clearly running on domestic adrenaline at this point - I'll make Big Al's sandwich for tomorrow now. Fight with LB about snacks because we're going to have dinner soon. Give him some grapes and send him on his way.


5pm - Put enchiladas in the oven, and am informed by BB that he will not be trying this dinner because it's red. I tell him that in accordance with the "two bite rule", he will have two bites. Knowing that he will not eat more than the two bites - I make him a quesadilla.....totally cutting off my nose to spite my face with regard to the "two bite rule."


5:20pm - Sit down for a few, to work on this post.


6pm - We eat dinner, and everyone enjoys it. Victory. Big Al clears the table, wipes hands and faces, and does the dishes. I love him.


7:20pm - Here I am, finishing this post. I should be pretty much off the hook for the remainder of the evening as my other half will get the kids bathed, put to bed, etc. Oddly, I feel a second wind coming on! I wonder what else I can do before it's time to go to bed......

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Life's a Beach


We had a really nice day at the beach today. We got there before it became too hot and crowded, and left after about 2 hours - as it got to be hot and crowded! Once home, LB took a nap and Big Al brought BB to the park to ride his bike. The training wheels are officially off! BB got it on the first try. We knew he was ready, it was just a matter of going for it!


Worries seem to go away while at the beach. And that's always nice......

Friday, June 8, 2007

Feeling Scrappy?


First of all, Blogger is being a total B$%@# this evening - and I'm not able to "move" my pictures around. Basically, the words I'm writing aren't making much sense in relation to the placement of the pictures, but you guys are smart. I know you'll be able to figure it out!!! Plus, you can always click on the pictures to make them bigger if you need clarification of what is what.
"dear Santa" - a lame title since the letter I wrote on this page is to LB, from me.....not to Santa from LB. The "dear Santa" is a rub-on and it just looked cute with the rest of the page.

The next one is a page for our annual Christmas picture/card. I have a designated Christmas album that is now, officially complete (Christmas cookies 2006, Christmas tree cutting 2006, Christmas morning 2006) for last year. Yay!


Next page on the right is "Sweet Child of Mine"
I love how this one turned out.




Next up on the left, is "4 wheelin' ". This one was fun because I actually painted the mud splatters. I hadn't broken out the paints in awhile because I've been on an ink bender. I forgot how much I like to use them.

Next (below) - "Up, Up, and Away!"
I just love the picture of BB mid-air. There was a time when he never would have done this. Such a big boy now..... Anyway, the cloud print is actually fabric! The swirls on the lower right are the journaling. I penciled the swirls, wrote the journaling, and then erased the pencil marks. Sometimes I get so sick of journaling blocks.....



Next (below) is a simple page that I did for the car show we went to in January. The pictures weren't that great (note LB picking his nose and BB cracking up in the background) but the boys were (still are?) in a major car-loving phase, so it had to be done.





I'm sure you noticed all the name-blocking sticky notes (for the blog pictures). You know how I'm a little bit crazy? Well, now you have more proof. So - six pages down, more to go. If only I could escape to my scrap room more often. My little oasis......



















Thursday, June 7, 2007

Aside from a few wayward watermelon seeds - my carpet is springtime fresh.

Thankfully, whatever LB had has left him and he's feeling much better. On Tuesday night I slept fitfully, in fear that he was going to vomit on my head. That exact thing happened last summer. You haven't experienced DISGUSTING until you experience hot vomit seeping into your hair and neck at 2AM. He still sleeps with us. I know....I'm so progressive. It's funny even to me that I am so "modern" in some ways, and such a flippin' hippie when it comes to certain parts of my parenting. Here's hoping he won't be putting his keys on the night stand and crawling into bed with us when he's 17.

Today LB starts his little karate class. CUTE! I'm sure he'll do well. He's full of energy having eaten his weight in watermelon this morning.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Giving serious consideration to concrete flooring and a hose attachment for my kitchen sink.


Today we brought Big Boy to see "Dr. McDreamy" (have I mentioned my slight crush on our wonderful pediatrician?) for his Kindergarten check-up. He passed the hearing and vision with flying colors, and at 49 inches tall and 68 lbs. is proportionately off the charts. No big surprise there. He's technically a tad overweight, but I can say with a clear conscious that he exercises (playing, running, riding his bike, etc.) every single day and really doesn't eat a bunch of crap! As a matter of fact, he isn't even much of a snacker. The Dr. isn't at all worried being that he's seen Big Al, and noted that we just have big, tall, strapping kids. He also told me that BB *will* play football.....whether I like it or not! Hmmmmm....we'll see. Anyway, BB withstood the finger prick anemia test, and 3 vaccination shots and was such a brave boy about the whole thing. "It hurt a lot, but I hung in there Mommy!" he said in his darling, chipper way. The capper was peeing in the cup. That, he thought - was just hilarious. "My turn!" "My turn!" said Little Boy.

After the appointment, I brought the boys to one of their favorite places since we were nearby - "the train restaurant." Not it's actual name, but that's what we call it. It's a really cute little lunch place that has electric trains/trainscapes set up all around for the kids to watch. There's even a Thomas table!



By this time, it was the afternoon and I was hoping LB would take a nap. No such luck...the boys played outside until Big Al came home - at which time we all went to the weekly Farmers Market. Our decision to go there had NOTHING to do with my wanting kettle corn. It really didn't even cross my mind. Yeah...right.




We bought strawberries, kettle corn to bring home, and a few other things. The boys played in the kids area for awhile, and BB picked out some sunflowers. That's sort of our thing.....we go every week and he gets to pick which flowers we buy. I know I've mentioned it before, but I just love that he has such a thing for flowers. As an aside, I jokingly colored one of his toenails red with a marker the other day while he was watching 'Go, Diego Go' and I thought he was going to come out of his skin!!! "WHY DID YOU DO THAT? I'M NOT A GIRL! EW! EW! COLORED TOENAILS ARE FOR GIRLS! I HATE THIS! TAKE IT OFF!" So....I don't know where I was going with that....but whatever.

Anyway, we got home a little later than planned and my grand dinner plans just didn't seem so grand.....so I decided to make scrambled eggs, strawberries, and wheat toast for the boys because they were so tired. I figured Big Al and I would likely have something else later. At this point, we wanted them fed and bathed so that they could go to bed.



As is the routine, Big Al gave them a bath and brushed their teeth after dinner while I was playing happily in my scrap room. I had the baby gate up (subtle, I know) with the door open. This way I was able to hear what was going on, yell things like "I just HEARD you smack your brother. KNOCK IF OFF" and just pretty much micro-manage while enjoying my "me" time. I heard LB coughing and then I heard BB say "GROSS! MOMMY! LB IS THROWING UP!!!" I get up, wondering where in the hell their father is only to realize that he is outside doing something.......and LB has indeed puked EGGS AND STRAWBERRIES all over the beige carpet, AND his red Pottery Barn chair. Nice. And yes, I had to name drop about the red chair, because would the damage be as sad on say - a KMart chair? No. I don't think so. The fact that I now had to clean this disgusting chair cover and not just toss it is significant.

Thanking God that I wasn't still in the first trimester of this pregnancy because this clean-up job would have surely been the death of me - I start ordering people around and cleaning up both my slimed child, and the carpet.
Quick commercial break to plug this stuff:





"Stain Buddy" available at QVC.Com. It is worth every.single.penny. Seriously, this stuff is miraculous.
As is I think pretty normal, LB now felt just fantastic. I know when I have a stomach flu, the only relief is that hour or so AFTER emptying the stomach. He was running around, wanting to play, etc. Having just SCRUBBED the hell out of the carpet, spraying Lysol on every surface other than the offending child, and placing another order for Stain Buddy online, since I just used an ENTIRE bottle - I had a chat with Big Al. My partner. My helper. My backup. He was on his way upstairs to play with the kids who, with all the excitement had found a second wind. I gave him an old stock pot lined with a tall kitchen bag and instructed him (while making eye contact....because we all know that if we aren't making eye contact with them - they for DAMN sure aren't hearing us) to keep this near LB at ALL times. If he coughs? You have to be RIGHT THERE with the pot. He may seem better....but in 30 minutes or so....you just never know.
I threw all of our old, now disgusting barfy dishtowels and rags into the washing machine and set it to the "SUPER SCALDING WATERS OF HELL" cycle before heading back into my scrap room.
Wouldn't you freakin' know it? Fifteen minutes later I hear LB coughing....and I just know instinctively that Big Al has dropped the ball.....or "pot" as the case may be. A second crop of strawberries.....this time down the stairs. Excellent. SOOOOOOO - the whole process starts again. Big Al is in deep trouble. He realizes this as I hand him a pack of baby wipes (to pick up the chunks), what is left of the Stain Buddy (not a whole lot), and the last clean rag. I took my child into the bathroom, nodded toward the stairs, and said "Good luck with that" -
because the pot never made it up the stairs to begin with.
It kills me that he for even one second - doubts that I know everything.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Park Pictures

Today we went to a new park. Like most places around here, the surrounding area was really pretty. The park itself was just so-so, but at least I got some decent pictures! The kids had fun, and I had fun stalking them in my paparazzi-like way. You'll notice that BB's hair is getting long. I LOVE it. I'm growing it out so that he'll have that cute surfer style that's in right now. It was always sort of longer and curly when he was younger. I don't know why I was having it cut into a typical boy haircut for a while there. If any little boy can pull off longer hair - it's mine. He can no longer use "kid shampoo". His hair simply demands something better. Not Mommy's expensive, can't-be-bought-at-the-grocery-store shampoo, but at the very least - Daddy's Pantene.

Silly boys........











A Spider web!!! The bug fascination continues.......

New and exciting pregnancy symptom: If I stand up for more than 15 minutes, my entire left thigh goes numb. Fun!!

The good news is, I'm 7 months pregnant and have only gained 9 lbs. That for me - is fan-freakin-tastic.

Now, if we can just get the nursery painted......