I'd like to say it's me but the award goes to my mom! I was not having the best of weeks, Abby being one of the main sources of stress. She actually lost a majority of her new presents and her 5 new dollies Sunday night due to some very poor behavior on her part. My mom read my facebook status the next day and offered to take Abby on Tuesday for an overnight. I double/triple/quadruple checked that she was serious about taking on the demon and as the BEST MOM EVER she said it would be her pleasure! She remembers well the days of having a few little ones and how a small break can sometimes be such a blessing! We did not hesitate to take her up on that great offer.
So off Abby went Tuesday afternoon and Jerry and I got to stay home and hang out with just Buddy. He was pretty stoked about having all the attention on him. We puttered around the house and I played a little (or a lot) of Super Mario on the Wii. I don't think Jerry knew he married such a gamer :) Abby had a good time at Grammy's. She just love, love, loves her Gram. From what my mom told me, Abby was pretty well behaved and was up early but was very quiet and played her Leapster on her own for quite a while.
We are having our New Year's Eve gathering tomorrow and went out to do some last minute grocery shopping before Abby got home and boy did Trey have the BEST time hanging out with his mom and dad! He talked so much in the car, usually he can't get a word in with Abby around, and got to ride in the big part of the cart. He thought it was great to pile all the food around himself. It was really nice for us to be able to focus just on him without any distractions and we realized that we almost never get to have 2-on-1 time with him.
My mom dropped Abby off a little after 6 and she had slept the whole way down in the car and was totally ready for bed. She was still not ready to see me and wanted her Grammy to put her to bed, so I got out of doing the whole routine for a second night!!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Conversation Overheard
We were all in the car on the way to Mt Vernon the other night to get pizza (I love coupons!) and I was saying to Jerry how hilarious I thought the kids' conversations would be once Trey started talking. It wasn't 5 minutes later when we overheard this particular conversation...
A: Trey, say pizza.
T: Cookie. (he usually says cookie for food)
A: No Buddy. Say peeee-zah.
T: Cookie!
A: No. I said say PEEEEEE-ZAH!
T: COOKIE!
A: *exaspirated* No Buddy, we aren't having cookies tonight. We are going to get pizza. No cookies. Pizza. Mom, can you turn my music on now?
Hmmm. I think it's funnier when you hear the story instead of read the story. You have to pretend to be an ultra-sassy 3-yr-old when you read Abby's end of it. She likes to ask him to say lots of things (that's what Mom does too!) and when he doesn't say it perfectly she asks him over and over to "SAY IT RIGHT!" and when he still doesn't get it she usually gets mad and tells me to make him say it right! It tickles me every time we go through that because she is such a little mommy. I'm sure she'll rope him into playing "school" one day and I bet he'll never get to be the teacher!
A: Trey, say pizza.
T: Cookie. (he usually says cookie for food)
A: No Buddy. Say peeee-zah.
T: Cookie!
A: No. I said say PEEEEEE-ZAH!
T: COOKIE!
A: *exaspirated* No Buddy, we aren't having cookies tonight. We are going to get pizza. No cookies. Pizza. Mom, can you turn my music on now?
Hmmm. I think it's funnier when you hear the story instead of read the story. You have to pretend to be an ultra-sassy 3-yr-old when you read Abby's end of it. She likes to ask him to say lots of things (that's what Mom does too!) and when he doesn't say it perfectly she asks him over and over to "SAY IT RIGHT!" and when he still doesn't get it she usually gets mad and tells me to make him say it right! It tickles me every time we go through that because she is such a little mommy. I'm sure she'll rope him into playing "school" one day and I bet he'll never get to be the teacher!
Christmas Morning
Christmas morning started as usual with Abby getting up around 5. I guess she went downstairs to get something off the table and didn't notice the presents and stockings that were out and when I went in at 6:30 and told her Santa had come she was VERY excited. Since Jerry had to be at work at 9 we woke Trey up and came downstairs to let the fun begin. Trey was super excited to see presents under the tree and ran right over, picked one up and said "This one! This one!" Too bad he picked up a present for me! I think Abby got everything she ever wanted and Trey got whatever we thought he'd like and each present seemed to be a big hit with him.
A new princess book for my little reader
Rescue Squad Mater!
Jerry got her a kids MP3 player and pre-loaded it with her favorite songs. Now she sings LOUDLY and very much off-key (did I mention LOUDLY?!), and it's way funnier when she has headphones on because she doesn't realize how loud she really is. She has told me a number of times about how good a singer she is and I, as the proud momma, always agree. She does bring a smile to my face.
Finally got his own flashlight so he'll leave Abby's alone
See, I really was there!
Looks like somebody was hitting the nog pretty hard :)
Santa came through big time for Abby and brought her the little Snow White doll that went with the other 4 she got from Grammy. She was SOOOOO HAPPY!!
Now she has 5 to carry around, read to, play with and sleep with. And they all get 2 hugs and lots of kisses every night. Adds about 5 minutes to her already ridiculous bedtime routine but they just delight her to no end.
We finished opening presents and I cooked a ham and egg breakfast while Jerry played with the kids for a bit and then got ready for work. I was looking forward to the day as there were lots of new things to occupy the kids. I even dared to plan (in my mind!) to clean my room up. But the day did not go as planned. Both kids were on a present high and wanted to try out everything. We spent about 10 minutes on each toy and they both fought over everything. If someone was playing something the other one wanted to join in. Abby got a lot of things that were not Trey-proof so he had a really rough day. Abby got a little reprieve when Trey went down for a nap and I let her get out her new paint book. That night I thought that I would give them a bath to pass the time and wear them out but even that was a disaster. Screaming, yelling, fighting, screaming, screaming, water throwing, screaming....not cool. When bedtime finally rolled around I was delirious with excitement over the prospect of having 15 minutes all to myself before it was my bedtime! A super fun and wonderful morning....but Jerry is not allowed to work Christmas day again!
I was really not in much of a Christmas mood this year. I've been sick with a nasty, nasty cold since right after Thanksgiving and it has sapped my energy. But watching my babies have such a magical time really made all the crankiness and craziness of the holiday truly worth it. I am most definitely looking forward to next year with them!
Another thing to throw!
A new princess book for my little reader
Rescue Squad Mater!
Jerry got her a kids MP3 player and pre-loaded it with her favorite songs. Now she sings LOUDLY and very much off-key (did I mention LOUDLY?!), and it's way funnier when she has headphones on because she doesn't realize how loud she really is. She has told me a number of times about how good a singer she is and I, as the proud momma, always agree. She does bring a smile to my face.
Finally got his own flashlight so he'll leave Abby's alone
See, I really was there!
Looks like somebody was hitting the nog pretty hard :)
Santa came through big time for Abby and brought her the little Snow White doll that went with the other 4 she got from Grammy. She was SOOOOO HAPPY!!
Now she has 5 to carry around, read to, play with and sleep with. And they all get 2 hugs and lots of kisses every night. Adds about 5 minutes to her already ridiculous bedtime routine but they just delight her to no end.
We finished opening presents and I cooked a ham and egg breakfast while Jerry played with the kids for a bit and then got ready for work. I was looking forward to the day as there were lots of new things to occupy the kids. I even dared to plan (in my mind!) to clean my room up. But the day did not go as planned. Both kids were on a present high and wanted to try out everything. We spent about 10 minutes on each toy and they both fought over everything. If someone was playing something the other one wanted to join in. Abby got a lot of things that were not Trey-proof so he had a really rough day. Abby got a little reprieve when Trey went down for a nap and I let her get out her new paint book. That night I thought that I would give them a bath to pass the time and wear them out but even that was a disaster. Screaming, yelling, fighting, screaming, screaming, water throwing, screaming....not cool. When bedtime finally rolled around I was delirious with excitement over the prospect of having 15 minutes all to myself before it was my bedtime! A super fun and wonderful morning....but Jerry is not allowed to work Christmas day again! 
I was really not in much of a Christmas mood this year. I've been sick with a nasty, nasty cold since right after Thanksgiving and it has sapped my energy. But watching my babies have such a magical time really made all the crankiness and craziness of the holiday truly worth it. I am most definitely looking forward to next year with them!Abby and Trey both got giftcards to Target as a present this year and I decided that Abby is old enough to pick out her own toys so when we were there the other day she found a Disney puzzle that she really wanted. I told her she had her own money and if that was something she wanted to buy she could use her giftcard. So home we went with a new 750 piece puzzle. It took us most of the afternoon but we finished it together. She put in about a third of the pieces on her own and spent a lot of time handing me pieces, telling me which character they belonged too (and getting that right!). She is such a smart cookie and I love being able to share my love of reading and puzzles with her!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Big Plans to...Nowhere
Jerry is working a 24 hour shift today, his 2nd of three this week (Christmas day is the last one!) so I made the brilliant plan that after work I would come home and finish up a few things for the Gardner family Xmas tomorrow and then take the kids shopping after naps. The kids and I still need to get a few more things for Jerry and since he wouldn't be home at all, today was perfect for our trip. Alas, plans never work out. Trey woke up right after I got home and he was very cuddly1 I thought he was just tired from having such a short nap but as the hours ticked by and he still wasn't moving I came to realize that he just plain wasn't feeling good. Darn! He was running a slight fever but wasn't throwing up or acting like he was in any pain. He was not interested in his bobs at all...he is always ready for a bottle and didn't flinch when I picked a booger out of his nose (always elicits a nice scream) or when I said the word "cookie". Yikes!! I ended up rocking him until 6 or so. I finally got some Tylenol in him and about 7 he was ready for a bottle. He perked up a bit after that but then got tired after a half hour or so. After Abby went to bed, Trey and I rocked a bit more and he fell sound asleep and went to bed no problems. Hopefully he's ready to go for the party tomorrow!
Abby was a super girl too. I think kids now when they really need to behave. This morning I was a passenger on the bus to Crazy Town with her (she is the driver of said bus and also the mayor of Crazy Town!). It was our WORST morning with her to date...and it started at the gloriously early hour of 4 AM! (no that is not a typo!). She certainly redeemed herself by being a quiet little lady this afternoon, playing nicely by herself, not asking for help with anything. She played with her dollies and read her books. She even got hungry and opened up the fridge, found some grapes, got herself a plate and picked a bunch of the stem. Fabulous! I will take happy, self-sufficient Abby over the mayor of Cranky Town anyday!
Here's hoping for a quiet night and maybe I might get to sleep in until, say, 6 tomorrow?!!!
Abby was a super girl too. I think kids now when they really need to behave. This morning I was a passenger on the bus to Crazy Town with her (she is the driver of said bus and also the mayor of Crazy Town!). It was our WORST morning with her to date...and it started at the gloriously early hour of 4 AM! (no that is not a typo!). She certainly redeemed herself by being a quiet little lady this afternoon, playing nicely by herself, not asking for help with anything. She played with her dollies and read her books. She even got hungry and opened up the fridge, found some grapes, got herself a plate and picked a bunch of the stem. Fabulous! I will take happy, self-sufficient Abby over the mayor of Cranky Town anyday!
Here's hoping for a quiet night and maybe I might get to sleep in until, say, 6 tomorrow?!!!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Lessons of the Day
And so here is what I learned today:
1. Washable marker does actually wash off of dressers, barbie houses, books, clocks and kids, but is not as easily washed off of the CAT! Izzy is now sporting a nice set of blue stripes. When asked why her room was markered the doer replied "I wanted to make you happy." and when asked about the cat the answer was "I wanted to make her happy". I think the offender now understands that putting black marker all over a white dresser (among other things) does NOT make Mommy happy!
2. A 3-year-old does NOT understand that you don't need to get out every single present and play with it the day after you get it. Note to self: next year hide some gifts for a week.
3. Don't ask the girl if she would like a bacon and cheese omelet. The answer will be NO! Instead ask if the girl likes bacon (yes), eggs (yes) and cheese (yes). Then make the omelet, cut it in half, give half to the younger brother...at which point the girl will start asking (or screaming) for a whole one like brother's...NOT CUT UP. At which point, produce the other half, strategically placed on a Princess plate. Smiles all around!!
4. Never give one child a new toy for the tub without also having something new for the other one to play with. Or else the one who didn't get the new toy will start dumping cup-fulls of water on the head of the other one...resulting in blood-curdling screams that are magnified by the bathroom's acoustics. Smartly, I found a long-lost doll for the younger one to play with ending said water fight!
5. If the littlest one won't pick up his own toys and you generously start doing it yourself, remember to put away the box of chocolates from the table BEFORE you start cleaning up. Or else the non-cleaner-upper will find the box of chocolates and start eating them (and feeding them to the dog) without you knowing. :(
6. No matter how much your head knows that going in to rock a screaming boy will only delay the cry-it-out part of the night, your heart still hurts hearing him cry "Mama!" Blogging will help busy your mind while the crying subsides and by the time you are done blogging the house will be quiet again!
1. Washable marker does actually wash off of dressers, barbie houses, books, clocks and kids, but is not as easily washed off of the CAT! Izzy is now sporting a nice set of blue stripes. When asked why her room was markered the doer replied "I wanted to make you happy." and when asked about the cat the answer was "I wanted to make her happy". I think the offender now understands that putting black marker all over a white dresser (among other things) does NOT make Mommy happy!
2. A 3-year-old does NOT understand that you don't need to get out every single present and play with it the day after you get it. Note to self: next year hide some gifts for a week.
3. Don't ask the girl if she would like a bacon and cheese omelet. The answer will be NO! Instead ask if the girl likes bacon (yes), eggs (yes) and cheese (yes). Then make the omelet, cut it in half, give half to the younger brother...at which point the girl will start asking (or screaming) for a whole one like brother's...NOT CUT UP. At which point, produce the other half, strategically placed on a Princess plate. Smiles all around!!
4. Never give one child a new toy for the tub without also having something new for the other one to play with. Or else the one who didn't get the new toy will start dumping cup-fulls of water on the head of the other one...resulting in blood-curdling screams that are magnified by the bathroom's acoustics. Smartly, I found a long-lost doll for the younger one to play with ending said water fight!
5. If the littlest one won't pick up his own toys and you generously start doing it yourself, remember to put away the box of chocolates from the table BEFORE you start cleaning up. Or else the non-cleaner-upper will find the box of chocolates and start eating them (and feeding them to the dog) without you knowing. :(
6. No matter how much your head knows that going in to rock a screaming boy will only delay the cry-it-out part of the night, your heart still hurts hearing him cry "Mama!" Blogging will help busy your mind while the crying subsides and by the time you are done blogging the house will be quiet again!
Nooksack Christmas '09
Saturday was my family's Christmas Day. We celebrate a week early just to ease the crunch of the real Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. It seems that everyone has places to go and things to do and it's just not fun having to rush from place to place. Having it the weekend before allows for a relaxed time, lots of catching up is done and it's one of the few times that the little kids all get together to play. I took just a few pics (200 or so!) and narrowed it down to a good 30+ and to my family: if you didn't make it in many (or any) pictures I'm very sorry...the kids are probably just cuter than you! ;)
He looks thrilled to be getting a hug from his sister
Have you ever tried to get 4 little kids to look at the camera - at the same time - and smile?
This is what you get
But aren't they cute?!
Caught one lookin'!
They really did have a good time, I promise! I think I'll be seeing that face of Abby's well into her teenage years.
Best family pic I could get.
Molly's favorite gift or an inside family joke? you decide!
I'm in love with Easton's blond curls!
A new party dress!
He wanted to put on his new shirt right away. And lots of wrapping paper balls were flying at this party!
2 VERY HANDSOME BOYS!!!
What kid doesn't need 1000 stickers?!
Miss Santa and her helper elf...best buds!
Molly and Abby
Boys and their toys!
Yes, there were adults at this party!
10 minute bobs break!
Who's getting tired?
Who heard she had more presents to open?
Comparing nail polish colors
Trey "the Tool man" Gardner
Cars go everywhere!
Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
Ariel
Cinderella
Belle. All 4 were "Just what I always wanted!"
My super awesome cousing Emily. She has the most gorgeous blue eyes you've ever seen! And don't mind Abby...she was not a fan of the mamarazzi
Stocking time
Best day of her life!!!!!!!
Aunt Sally and Easton. Ahhh, sleeping babies are the best.
"Mom, go away. I'm reading to my baby"
What a fun night. I wish everyone lived a little closer so we could get together more often. Good food, yummy desserts, lots of presents (let's face it, everyone likes presents!) and a lot of laughter!
Abby and Trey in front of the massive pile of goodies!
He looks thrilled to be getting a hug from his sister
Have you ever tried to get 4 little kids to look at the camera - at the same time - and smile?This is what you get
But aren't they cute?!
Caught one lookin'!
They really did have a good time, I promise! I think I'll be seeing that face of Abby's well into her teenage years.
Best family pic I could get.
Molly's favorite gift or an inside family joke? you decide!
I'm in love with Easton's blond curls!
A new party dress!
He wanted to put on his new shirt right away. And lots of wrapping paper balls were flying at this party!
2 VERY HANDSOME BOYS!!!
What kid doesn't need 1000 stickers?!
Miss Santa and her helper elf...best buds!
Molly and Abby
Boys and their toys!
Yes, there were adults at this party!
10 minute bobs break!
Who's getting tired?
Who heard she had more presents to open?
Comparing nail polish colors
Trey "the Tool man" Gardner
Cars go everywhere!
Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
Ariel
Cinderella
Belle. All 4 were "Just what I always wanted!"
My super awesome cousing Emily. She has the most gorgeous blue eyes you've ever seen! And don't mind Abby...she was not a fan of the mamarazzi
Stocking time
Best day of her life!!!!!!!
Aunt Sally and Easton. Ahhh, sleeping babies are the best.
"Mom, go away. I'm reading to my baby"
What a fun night. I wish everyone lived a little closer so we could get together more often. Good food, yummy desserts, lots of presents (let's face it, everyone likes presents!) and a lot of laughter!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Have you seen...
my daughter?? She is missing. Blonde hair, blue eyes, loud, cranky, in-your-face personality?? No? Me either!
She has recently decided that it is really fun to spend the afternoons in her room coloring, doing puzzles, putting stickers on everything and torturing the cat. I must say that I don't even really care what she's doing up there because it is QUIET downstairs!! Trey is off playing by himself. He's very self-entertained, loves playing with his boots and his blow-up bat/ball/tee set. Both come and say hi occasionally but for the most part I get to relax for a bit each day (I should be cleaning but let's face it, relaxing is much more......relaxing!)
How long can this continue???? I'm hoping at least through Christmas!
She has recently decided that it is really fun to spend the afternoons in her room coloring, doing puzzles, putting stickers on everything and torturing the cat. I must say that I don't even really care what she's doing up there because it is QUIET downstairs!! Trey is off playing by himself. He's very self-entertained, loves playing with his boots and his blow-up bat/ball/tee set. Both come and say hi occasionally but for the most part I get to relax for a bit each day (I should be cleaning but let's face it, relaxing is much more......relaxing!)
How long can this continue???? I'm hoping at least through Christmas!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Let it Snow!!
Finally we got a little snow. Abby has been looking forward to snow for quite some time and as soon as the first flakes started to fall she and Trey were decked out in their hats and boots to go out and try to catch some!
Trey trying to stick his tongue out
One of my favorite Abby pics ever!
A little more snow in the afternoon
Rusty
Eating a snowball
Our pretty house! Too bad nobody ever sees it!
Even the shed gets some lights.
Ready for trip #3 in the snow
The kids both LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the snow. Trey throws and absolute fit when he has to come inside. He loves his mittens, his boots, his hat, everything about getting dressed for snow. We still had about 3-4 inches this morning and they went out to play for nearly 45 minutes. I finally was too frozen to stand out there and watch. There is still a lot left this afternoon so we may venture out in a while!
Trey trying to stick his tongue out
One of my favorite Abby pics ever!
A little more snow in the afternoon
Rusty
Eating a snowball
Our pretty house! Too bad nobody ever sees it!
Even the shed gets some lights.
Ready for trip #3 in the snow
The kids both LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the snow. Trey throws and absolute fit when he has to come inside. He loves his mittens, his boots, his hat, everything about getting dressed for snow. We still had about 3-4 inches this morning and they went out to play for nearly 45 minutes. I finally was too frozen to stand out there and watch. There is still a lot left this afternoon so we may venture out in a while!
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