Friday, February 26, 2010

paybacks...

So I walk into the living room yesterday and this is what I see.

They were totally laying down together on the couch peacefully playing with a calculator! What is up with the calculators around here?!?
So I'm thinking I might have hit my stride. Or maybe "it" just hasn't happened yet. Three kids is still doable. I feel like its just the right amount of busy to keep you going all day and make you totally ready for bed at bed time. Thats not to say that things wouldn't be a little better if I were a morning person, but I'm not, so... whatever. Our regular mornings are great, its just school mornings that are rushed. For some reason, even though I do prepare for things in advance, and get up super early, I'm still in a rush. What is like to just mosey out the door? I've never moseyed anywhere.
Another thing that I think is really weird is that I am generally terrible about cooking dinner. I can cook. I don't mind cooking. I honestly would rather eat out or just eat cereal or ice cream or something. But, since Rex has gotten here I have cooked dinner almost every single night. Unprecedented and seriously weird.
It also isn't too hard to go places and do things. We all went to run errands yesterday and it wasn't any big deal. I keep up-ing the errands and nothing happens. I just don't get it. I can't figure out if Rex is still so little that he isn't any trouble or this is just the way three kids is. I'm going to choose to believe that this is the way it is.
Would anyone like a nice black kitty cat? He's really nice and well adjusted, good with kids. He survived living with me through college and he's been through it all. However, Deion has pooped on my rug for the last time. I don't know what his problem is, but he will not stop pooping on my rug! It has become part of my routine to go pick up the poop pretty much every morning. It is seriously foul and not an ok way for me to live. I asked Michael if I could take him to the vet for a "long nap" and he was not happy about it at all. He and I were raised differently when it comes to animals. I'm thinking that the animal is ruining my stuff and inconveniencing me, so he has to be excused. Michael says "you don't kill things for pooping." I would like for him to have a nice place to live and can't imagine him sitting in a sad little cage waiting to be adopted.

This is what happens when daddy is in charge. First of all, he dressed them. Then they wanted to color on a paper plate. So Michael said that when they finished coloring they could go "nail them to the tree." What?!? That is the most random thing I have ever heard!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Deep Thoughts


What is it about people who aren't quite "all there" that is so easy to recognize? Is it the fact that these working age people are hanging out at the library during work hours? Is it the strange hat? Is it the monotone-bla-eige colored outfit? Is it those lug sole shoes that look way too big? Is it the handle bar moustache? Is it a far away look in the eyes? Is it all of those things crammed on one person? Its hard to say what "it" is that makes you sure with only one tiny glance, but whatever suspicions I had that this particular gentlemen was "off", whatever ran through my head in a fraction of a second, was confirmed when he let me hold the door open for HIM as I carried Rex in the big cumbersome infant seat on one arm, a huge bag of books in one hand, my big purse on one shoulder, had the door with one foot and was holding onto both Stella and Yates by the only free hand. Oh here, let me hold the door for you ma'am... Nope, not this guy. He just ambled on through like it was nothing. Sweet.
Would it be possible to put my kids on some sort of IV instead of feeding them 3 meals + snacks every day? I'm pretty sure it can be done. I need to look into it. Every meal at our house comes with a 100% guarantee that several messy things will splatter, fling, drip, crash, slip, sprinkle, trickle, tumble or just plain get thrown all over the floor. That does not include the things that are smushed, dripped, glopped, smeared and smudged on the faces, clothes, table and chairs. And its not just the messes, its the noise! Do you know how loud silver ware slamming on the floor over and over and over is? It makes me so crazy! I just finished a minor freak out after the 400th thing hit the floor at lunch today and accidentally said, "This is ridiculous! Ya'll are going to have to start eating outside." To which Stella replied, "Oh great! I love eating outside." Ok fine, so maybe eating outside might be a little much, but it would be better than an IV I guess. Either way. Seriously. What do I do? How about I put their meals in a blender, pour it all in a cup with a lid and duct tape the dang lid on?! I've tried, if you drop your fork, you don't get to use a fork for the rest of the meal; or if you drop your drink and the lid flies off and the dogs drink it, you don't have a drink anymore. I've also tried making them clean up the messes they make, but that isn't always an option. Like when its milk (its milk at least every other day, but then again, sometimes its 3 times a day) or when its someone's entire meal that accidentally slipped down off the table b/c an elbow was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe I could get a huge tarp and just cut 2 little head holes and 4 little arm holes in it. Its also pretty disgusting the way the dogs just hang out under the high chairs. If its so obvious to a dog that food will rain down, then there is too much food raining down!! Uuugghh...
Ahhh, nature. Well our lady squirrel is ovulating and mister squirrel got the memo loud and clear. At breakfast lady and mister squirrel ran all over the back yard, up the tree, down the tree, up on the stage, (the huge stump) down on the grass "hugging" each other over and over. Stella said, "I think the one hugging in the back is the daddy." Oh Dear Jesus! No, no, no nature! Couldn't they be normal and do that in the dark instead of all over the place, at breakfast, in front of my babies?!? I guess I should have run out there in my gown and shooed them off with a broom or something. Next time I WILL.
Anyway. Rex is big. He wants to be carried facing out all ready. He still sleeps a lot and his belly button is not 100% yet. I'm a little disturbed by the belly button. Having him reminds me of some of the little things that Stella and Yates did when they were tiny. Rex likes to hide his face when you hold him. Stella did that when she was itty bitty. It doesn't seem like he can breathe, but he will just squirm around until his face is totally under my arm. I had also forgotten what it was like to have a sleeping baby in the infant seat. Sweet baby Yates would scream from the second we put him in there, the entire time he was in the car and wouldn't stop until he was released from the torture seat. Rex is more like Stella, they are/were completely cool with the infant seat. Put 'em in there, give 'em a little jiggle and voila! Now you are free to fold clothes with two hands! Lucky!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

"CALCULATA"

This is my all time favorite SNL sketch. It may have a little something to do with the fact that I have seen Michael - my little enginerd - get excited about a calculator in real life at least once...

And maybe this love was only reinforced when "someone" (Steve) actually put "TI-82" or something on their Christmas list THIS YEAR and GOT one : ) Love it!! Nerds!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

4 weeks old and It got me...


Today Rex is 4 weeks old. I'm not counting it as one month until the 13th. Between last week and today we've had a whirlwind of things going on. Unfortunately, I got mastitis and it was pretty debilitating. Its crazy that mastitis can be so overwhelming, but it is and I was in bed with 103 fever for 2 1/2 days. We're still working some of the "kinks" out, but at least I'm back in the game and feeling good. The worst part of it was not that I was sick or that I was sick for Super Bowl weekend, but that it was Michael's birthday and he spent it nursing me and tending to all 3 babies. : ( Poor thing. Some happy birthday... Luckily Gigi and Gabby were coming through town and were here to help. We were able to run out to a quick dinner alone and that was nice. Even nicer, we were surprised by my parents who called to pay our bill. We came home to peace and quiet with Yates and Rex sleeping, but that didn't last long. About 10 minutes after we got home Yates started crying in his bed. We knew he had a fever so birthday boy Michael went up to check on him and Yates threw up all over him. He really was covered from head to toe and had to strip down and parade down through the house in a towel. Next was an hour of cleaning up throw up, changing clothes and trying to get Y comfortable again. To top of the birthday night, M slept on the couch with Y : ( Sweet Daddy.

He's back now!!! Big muscles and all!
Playing an iphone game together... without fighting : )
2.11.2010
Didn't get to finish this yesterday because Rex turns into a pumpkin at 9p sharp, but we had the best school morning yesterday. Slowly but surely I'm getting good at this three baby thing. We were right on time and didn't even have to rush around. It was fabulous! I got lots of things done on my list and had a great day in general. Those productive days have been few a far between lately, like for the last 4 months! S and Y came home with their Valentines and loved going through them and eating all of the candy. They both designed and made the ones they gave out and they turned out so cute. Yates' were bulldozers with hearts in the scooper and Stella's were... "abstract-one-of-a-kind-numbers." I don't know how I didn't get pictures of them... weird.

This girl never ceases to amaze me! "Look mommy! I cut up some paper and built an Eiffel Tower!"
Today we are having a Texas blizzard! It has been snowing since at least 6am. I dug out the babies' snow suits cut all of those "room to grow" seams out (took forever!!) and they had big fun in the snow. (Side story) Yates cut his finger earlier on a pipe cleaner (who knows) but we had some GI Joe band-aids that Gigi brought us that were Michael's when he was little (for real) so he was fine until he got snow in his mitten and on his boo boo. He then started to cry because his "pingo" (finger) hurt and he had to go back in. It was fun either way! I can't believe how much snow is out there!


Wednesday, February 03, 2010

3 weeks old

Rex is three weeks old today. He is still being super easy, sleeping well, eating well, snoring here and there. This last week flew by! Yesterday we had sweet friend and photographer Kelly Pollard come over to take pictures of the babies. Kelly is amazing. Not only are her photographs beautiful, but she is an amazing person and is unbelievable with the babies. They love her, I love her and I think I'm going to start stalking her. (Sorry Kelly) Click the link and brace yourself... they made me cry, again. http://www.lala-photography.com/blog/

Grabham-1315

The best thing about today is that we made it to school on time! Yay! I had to use every ounce of self control I could muster to keep from running through the hall at school with my arms raised in the air in celebration! ...like I just crossed the finish line. We were actually 2 minutes ahead of schedule. I knew I could do it. Last week we were late Monday and Wednesday and I was not ok with it. I do not want to be that mom. Anyway, hopefully the late days are behind us.
Also at school, Yates' new teachers are so nice! The entire "vibe" is just so much better, more positive and sweeter. At his old school the teachers expected him to act a certain way (fussy) and so he did. Now they have a nice little story to tell me at the end of each day about how good he is. Today the story was that Yates is so sweet, he helped another little boy pick up a mess he had made and was not wanting to pick up. I didn't know Yates would pick up a mess, much less help someone else pick up their mess. Like my mom said, as long as they do what they know is right in public, I've done my job. Yay! I am very proud of him for adjusting to his new school so well, for fitting in with the older kids in his class and for being a good boy.
Stella came home with a special sticker on her shirt for picking up at school today too. Michael has been making them pick up really well at night. I guess its starting to get ingrained in them. Hallelujah!

A couple of cute things the kids have been saying...
Stella - "Mommy, I love you as long as a rope."
Yates - "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, __(insert long story about anything at all)_____, blah, blah. Know that?"

I can't remember if I've posted about Yates' imaginary kitty cat and bulldozer. He has decided that there is an invisible kitty cat that lives on top of or behind the headboard in our bedroom. He pretends like the imaginary cat scares him so that he can fake scared. He always says, "Kitty cat getting me" then dies laughing. The imaginary bulldozer lives in his hand... of course. He will hold out two hands for you to guess which hand the bulldozer is in, then when you choose the right hand he will whisper, "bitty bitty bulldozer." Hilarious.

One other thing I didn't want to forget. Between Friends. Stella designed and made a baby doll the day before Rex was born. She sketched the way she wanted her baby to look, chose the fabrics, buttons, thread colors and placement of everything. When it was finished she announced that her name is Between Friends... so that everyone can share her. Oooookay...


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