???

I'm sitting here at a total loss for how anyone could have mothered before the days of google... I mean I have googled more things relating to my children than you could ever imagine. I have googled "rash images" (ummm gross), "red dye allergies", and "Why does my three-year act like this?" among many other things-- some of which I will NEVER tell you. Ever.

Today it was, "My baby ate a charcoal briquette."

Yep. For real. That happened.

One minute, two boys were happily playing on the back porch, the next minute the little one is drooling black and chewing up a piece of charcoal like it was candy.

I googled first, called the dr. next and both assured me that charcoal was a perfectly safe thing to eat and that they give people charcoal in the office after they've eaten poison. Nice to know.

Now I wish that I would have snapped a photo before I franticly finger swept all of the black debris away and flushed his mouth repeatedly! :)

Aaannnd- just for reference, this is not the first time that I've had to google "My baby ate____" Nope, I've definitely filled in that blank with, "silica gel", "his own poop", and " a christmas lightbulb". Those were all Owen though- that kid stuck EVERYTHING in his stinking mouth.

Good grief. This parenting thing is rough.

:)

ANNOUNCEMENT!

Remember these guys??

Well, I can finally tell you about them! The night that these guys appeared on my blog was the night that I found out that my best friend in the whole world is PREGNANT!!!! WAAAAHHOOOOO! Sara is now in her second trimester, so I feel that I can spill my beans! Obviously my excitement was evident the night that I found out, and let me tell you, it hasn't dwindled one bit! Sara is so kind to let me live vicariously through her pregnancy, she puts up with my antics like a champ, and she allows me to gush about her baby to be like there's no tomorrow.

Of course, in case you were not aware, Sara and I are totally "blood" sisters. We definitely mingled blood the day of our car accident, and we decided the other night (Like we didn't already know, duh!) that we're totally "bound" for life after an experience like that!

Each week since we've found out that the Walroths were expecting, I've been preparing them a meal with the "baby food" of the week... Let me explain; each week Babycenter sends out an email that gives you the approximate size of your baby in food terms. So, we've taken this information and turned it into a reason to hang out and eat dinner together once a week! I love it! We also jam some Financial Peace University into our evening :) It's been a lot of fun to celebrate each moment of this pregnancy with our very best friends. We couldn't be happier for them and they are going to be AMAZING parents!

Week 6-Week 7

Todd loves to wear his green scrubs to dinner

It appears that SOMEONE was missing this week?!

See what I mean about how she puts up with my antics?

Todd *really* loves wearing his green scrubs to dinner!

Look how cute she is with her lime baby!

Eli loves limes :)

OH- and the giraffe thing. Oddly enough the day that S&T found out that they were "with child" they decided to go get a little baby present from Target and then come over to our house. Well Sara had texted me with a picture of the proof, so I ran out and got Baby W. a little present as well. After they arrived, we discovered that we both had picked out giraffes for the baby! So now, baby W. has a whole slew of giraffe things, because it's clearly his/her favorite animal! :) It just goes to show that great minds think alike!

I'm just loving this year folks! My first nephew is due in May(sooooo excited!!), then Michelle's baby in July, and then Baby Walroth in September!! My little aunt heart just grew 3x bigger this year! But there's totally room for more-- in case any other sisters-in-law decide to reproduce :)

I CAN'T WAIT TO BE AN AUNT!!!!

Meet Dot

The newest member of our family. She is a Rhode Island Red, and she (HOPEFULLY) is a SHE! She's currently living in the green bathroom, but she's be moving out to the shed with Betty and Rachel when she's a little bigger/it's a little warmer!

One of those days

Blech. That's what I have to say about today. I'm sad to say that too since it was so beautiful out today. It seemed like today was my own personal series of unfortunate events. (I know- I'm totally just whining- but it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to!)

It actually started out okay, As we were walking out to the Jeep this morning, Owen noticed the woodpecker in our neighbor's tree and said, "Do you hear that noisey pecker, Mommy?"

heeheehee.

How can your day be bad if it starts out like that?

Owen had a field trip today to the police station and I chaperoned. Owen was NOT on his best behavior there, and I was getting pretty frustrated with him. The field trip was over before the school day was, so I dropped him back off at school and then went to do my grocery shopping for Fiesta Night (more details to come on this SPLENDID event!) When I got back to the school to pick him up, I got a not-so-good report. On the way home, I tried to talk to Owen about what Mrs. Hughes had told me and he totally denied it. I finally got him to tell me the truth by threatening that he would have to go straight to bed when we got home without lunch.

After lunch, I tried to work with him to get his homework done. He fought me every step of the way. He just absolutely refused to listen to what I was telling him, refused to do things the correct way, refused to even hold his head up or his crayon correctly. I got soooo mad at him that I totally lost it. That's right, I literally blew up at him, and screamed and shouted ugly things, spanked him, and sent him to his room.

Then I cried. I felt so guilty for having yelled at him like that- and for having spanked him in anger. I mean I lose my patience with him frequently, but I rarely just totally rage at him. I felt like crap the rest of the day for having lost my cool with him. That's really going to help him understand and like school more- if Mommy turns into an ugly, raging beast every time the homework comes out.

Ughh- I hate that I reacted that way. Hate it.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one to have raged at their child. Someone please tell me that they have a child who turned out A-OK after having been raged at. I apologized to Owen and I explained to him that Mommy yelling at him like that was not okay, and that I would be better.

I just feel like crap. Mommy fail. I hate these days.

On top of this, I had another "event" that totally perturbed me today. I can't/won't go into details here because someone might know someone related to this happening that reads this blog- and I don't want it to go any farther than it has. It was ugly, hurtful, and unnecessary. Nuff said.

So today, there are no cute pictures. There's only truth. Some days it's ugly, some days it makes me want to crawl under a rock and hide, but it's the truth. I can't change how it happened today, all that I can do is pray, and give it my all tomorrow.

New 'Do

Here ya go mama. A picture of my new haircut.

He works hard for the money

We've been working through Financial Peace University with SarTodd, and the other night as we listened to the part of the lesson about teaching kids about money, we made a commitment to ourselves and our children. We are going to make sure that our children understand money, and more importantly, how to manage money. Dave talks about how his kids were on "commission" from the time they were 2 until they were 18. This is NOT an allowance. This is NOT a payment for doing things that are expected anyway. This is commission for going above and beyond the everyday, "You belong to this family, therefore you will pitch in" tasks.. There will be set chores that our children can choose to do (or not do) to receive payment. After they've received payment, their money will be divided into three categories, "Give", "Save", "Spend". We're starting Owen with the opportunity to earn $3/week. To make it easy, $1 will go to each of the categories. Owen is pretty psyched about all of this, he's excited to earn money that he can call his own. I'm excited to give him the opportunity to learn about managing money from an early age.

We came up with a list of tasks that Owen can easily accomplish and that would really help us out. We came up with more than three, so I can easily switch the tasks that I would like to have accomplished from week to week. (Or even offer a bonus $ for completing an extra task.) This week, his tasks were to use the hand vac to:

1. Vacuum under the couch cushions, and vacuum the floor in his room.

(A picture of the dirt that O collected. It was very important to him that I photograph this)

2. Vacuum and clean out the jeep.

3. Help me clean out the flower beds and haul leaves and debris to the compost for me.



It's Monday, and he's already completed all three tasks/earned $3!!

So today, we sat down to make containers to store the money in. As he gets older, we'll switch this over the envelope system, but for now, Dave says that little children get more reward from seeing the cash in the containers.

As always, I'm pretty proud of my little man. AND I'm just so excited to guide him down a path of financial responsibilty and ultimately, Peace.

Hello Beautiful!

Yep, that's what I said when I walked outside today and saw this.

I was soo excited to see this sight that we spent ALL. DAY. OUTSIDE. LOOOOOOOOVED it! It got up to 77* yesterday! That is totally acceptable March weather that warrants a full-on, summer-lovin' kind of 'tude.

Owen and T rode the gator until the battery went dead.

I gave myself an outside pedicure and admired the way my toes looked in the grass.

Betty and Rachel soak up some Vitamin D.


I got a kick out of Eli rockin' this outfit.

AND- I barbequed chicken for dinner and we ate outside. Ahhhh, spring/summer. I can't wait for you to be here!

A letter to my eldest

Dear Owen,

Have I told you lately how much I love you, how special you are to me? The day we found out that you were on the way, changed us forever. As our oldest child, you hold a very special place in our hearts. You will forever be the person who made us, "Mommy" and "Daddy". I thank God for you every day, you are a treasure in my life.

I remember one day when I was pregnant with you and Sara's mom told me that every baby needs a song, and did I know what yours was. I didn't, but I made up my mind to "find" you one. I soon realized that this wasn't something that I could just pick; it just didn't work like that... Then one day I was driving, listening to the radio and a line of a song brought me to tears... "I hope you don't mind that I wrote down in words, how wonderful life is while you're in the world." It was Your Song. If I'd only known that simply googling, "Your Song" would have given me the answer :)

Right now, you are 3 years, 9 months old. You are attending preschool two days a week, and you can breathe the life into a room. You have so many admirable qualities. You are smart, determined, motivated, inquisitive, funny, and kind. You can bring down the house with your sense of humor. You live your life fearlessly, and with such passion that it frightens me sometimes. Nothing stands in your way when you set your mind to something. You have the makings to be something great, you have it in you to change the world. I love watching you grow and change. I love seeing you learn new things and master new skills. I love seeing the pride in your eyes when you've acheived a goal. My heart overflows when I look into your eyes. You have changed so much in the past three and a half years, but yet, you're still the same. You're my baby through and through, (even though you'd never admit to that!)

Owen, I admire you, I hold you dear, I love you more that you can imagine. Thank-you for making me a Mommy. You made my dreams come true just by being born. Thank-you for being you. I love you.

Mommy

My Day in photos

Friday, we went up to my parents' house because Owen and I had dentist appointments. We still go to my childhood dentist, Dr. Glenn Smith, because well, he is the best dentist to ever walk the face of the earth. Ever. I've explained to him in detail, that he is never allowed to retire. He explained to me that when he starts coming at me with a drill in his shaky, old man hands, that I will be begging him to retire. Owen started seeing Dr. Smith last summer, and he did so well. Dr. Smith was great with him, and as a result, Owen is starting out on the right foot for feeling good about his dental care.

Owen had his first "by himself" appointment scheduled and when the hygienist, Elaine, came out to get him, she asked, "Owen, are you ready to come back and get your teeth cleaned?" He looked at her like she was crazy, and said, "No, I'm not ready yet." I convinced him to go back, and I stayed with him until they were ready for me. I'm so glad that I did because I was able to snap some great photos to commemorate the event.

Did you notice who else was present for the cleaning? Yep, that's right, Cheetah. Owen told Elaine that Cheetah needed a bib too, and she happily obliged. She humored him in all of his concerns and totally gained his trust. He allowed both her, and Dr. Smith to check and clean his teeth. I was proud of how well he handled it, (better than me) and so thankful that we have such an awesome dentist!

After we were done at the dentist, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's. I have to say that most trips to my mom and dad's are interesting...This is mostly because of the wide variety of wildlife that resides there. I love the animals and they remind me that I'm home because I grew up in a zoo of our own creation. :) There are of course plenty of toys and vehicles to occupy one's attention as well.

So our day went kind of like this....

There was four-wheeling

There was the sweet-talking of a conservation officer

There was a raccoon who decided to plow her not-slim body into the side of my head

There was a little baby loving on a big, spoiled horse

There was the showering of a Macaw

Oh, what's that? Your Friday wasn't as exciting as mine? Didn't think so. :) I love my mama and papa, and I love going to their house because there is truly never a dull moment.

How'd they know?

I don't think that Degree realized how much I needed protection for all of those OMG moments when they came up with this marketing campaign. Of course, my OMG moments might mean something a little different than what they were going for- but still, so appropriate for my life! Wish that I would have had this deoderant last Christmas Eve!