Crutches and a boot

I'm now in a boot and on crutches. Can you hear the excitement coming thru your computer? If anyone has any ideas on how to manage this with 2 kids please let me know.

hungry hungry human

Bryce got the bright idea to swallow a marble from his hungry hungry hippo game tonight. His response to us when asked why in the world did you do that?..."I don't know but I guess I'll just have to poop it out".

ABC's....

Here is a video of Callie singing her ABC's. She is so smart (yes...I am biased but still)! Counting objects, recognizing shapes and colors, and even recognizing some letters. It is so fun watching her learn new things everyday.

cookies and falling soldiers

Yesterday was annual cookie baking day. My mom and I take one day before Christmas to bake lots and lots of Christmas cookies. This year we made 5 different kinds and about 22 dozen....that's a lot of cookies! It is one of the things I look forward to each year. I love spending the day with my mom amongst the smell of baking cookies. We always burn at least one cookie sheet and we always eat way to many cookies. The kids got in on the action and helped out a little. Bryce had more fun "cleaning the beater" then actually helping bake the cookies. I had to finally put my foot down with "your going to get a tummy ache". Sometimes I chuckle to myself after saying those types of "mom" sayings. I still can remember my mom saying the same thing to me.

We, or should I say Bryce, also had a run in with a toy soldier yesterday. He decided to try and put something in his stocking and pulled the holder off of the mantle and on to his forehead. Some ice, a phone call to childrens healthcare of Atlanta, and lots of TLC later he seemed to be ok. I promptly removed the weapons (aka stocking holders) from the mantle. Guess I'm going to figure out a different way to hang them from now on.

My favorite "dishwasher"

The scene of the crime

Evidence of the crime... I think it was the toy soldier with the stocking holder in the family room (cheesy, I know but Clue is one of my all time favorite movies)

hockey night

Friday night we were invited to go to a Gladiators game (the Gladiators are a hockey team that play out of the local arena...not NHL but still fun!). We all had a really good time, especially the kids. We were sitting pretty close to the glass so we had a great view of the ice. We were also sitting right where the players went in and out of the locker room so Bryce got to "high five" them. He announced that he now wants to play hockey! I told him that we would go skating one night and see how he likes it. I have a feeling that after a couple of falls he is going to change his mind...but who knows. Maybe we had a lot of hockey games in our future!

no stage fright

Bryce's first Christmas program was at the age of 2 and he did not want to be up on stage. This stage fright continued until the age of 4. This fact had me slightly worried going into the kids Christmas program this past week. Callie was participating (along with Bryce) and I was slightly waiting to see if we would revisit the land of tears and screaming. This proved not to be the case as Callie once again proved that she might be little but she has no fear. She stood center stage and even pushed a little boy out of the way that got in front of her.

Bryce did a great job too. His teacher had asked me to talk to him about talking to his friends during the program. Our talk didn't seem to work as he chatted it up with the little girl that was next to him the entire program. Oh well!

Group shot....Bryce is on the left all the way on the end and 2nd from the top. Callie is front and center. She is such a peanut!

Tis the Season...

Tis the season for all things Christmas. The season has set in and we have begun all of the fun things that go along with it. I do feel like we are dragging a bit this year and who knows why....2 kids under 5, 3 jobs (me 1 and Bryan 2), 2 hours of commuting daily, housework, laundry, and the list could go on! This weekend we went to a Christmas parade with friends, picked out a tree, and got the lights on the house. Monday we decorated the tree. It was so much fun. We turned on Christmas music, danced around, and hung all of the ornaments. Afterwards Bryan and I got to cuddle up on the couch while the kids ran around screaming how pretty the tree was. We even got them to sing some Christmas songs for us. The rest of the house needs to be decorated but at least the boxes are out of the attic! I am feeling the strain of the holiday season but am trying to push it aside and just enjoy it. It helps that the kids are so excited. Every evening on the way home they ohh and ahh whenever we pass Christmas lights....makes for a much more enjoyable ride! Tomorrow is their school xmas program and they are both in it. I'll be sure to post a video tmrw!

where's your hair?

Bryan shaved his head yesterday. And I do mean shaved....he's pretty much bald. The kids were in bed so they didn't see his new "do" until today. They were quite shocked when we got home. Callie took one look at him and said "Oh no Daddy! All your hair fell out!". I proceeded to fall on the floor laughing.

santa conversation

Here is a snip from my conversation with Bryce on the way to school.

Bryce: Mom, I am a little confused about Santa
Me: What are you confused about?
Bryce: Well, there are 2 Santa's at the mall. We also saw a really skinny Santa on tv and a black Santa. Which one is the real one and why are the other one's saying they are Santa?
Me: Well (long pause to try to get a decent answer together)...Santa is really,really, busy right now and he can't be everywhere at the same time so he has friends that help him out. They are Santa's helpers. Like the elves we saw in the Santa movie.
Bryce: So the friends dress up like Santa and tell everyone they are Santa but they really aren't? Isn't that lying?
Me: Well.....kind of but they are trying to help.
Bryce: Mommy, it's not nice to lie. You told me if I lie that Santa won't bring me any presents. I guess the fake Santa's won't have any presents this year.

He's only 5! Nothing seems to go over this child's head!

Callie 0, Chair 1

Callie had a run in with a chair this evening and by the looks of it, the chair won! After a stream of tears, some ice, ibuprophen, and lots of hugs she was good as new. Well not quite good as new, she still has a pretty good knot and black and blue mark. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she hasn't inherited my clutziness!!

Holiday weekend fun

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving weekend. We had a very low key Thanksgiving dinner with only six people (small for us). The rest of the weekend consisted of shopping with my mom, A Thrashers game with friends, Dinner and a movie with the girls, and lots of family time. Auburn played their final game against Alabama. For the first time since I can remember, I'm glad the season is over! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

a preschool thanksgiving

The kids had Thanksgiving lunch at school today. They both dressed up like Indians. Bryce's Indian name was "chief loves his mom". Made me laugh. He is highly attached to me and everyone knows it. The funny thing is that he knows it and doesn't care (I'm sure one day being called a mama's boy will not go over so well). They made placemats that listed what they were thankful for. Bryce's says Cows that give us milk, my mom and dad, my family, and God.

Callie ate all of her food but didn't seem too fond of the pumpkin pie. It is rare to find a food she doesn't like!!

lessons

I learn things from my kids everyday. As a parent, you go into it thinking you are going to teach them so much. and then real life happens and you realize that they are the real teachers. I have started making an effort to think about what they have taught me that day every night before I fall asleep. Here is a brief list of things (both sweet, serious, and funny) that I have learned over the last week.

No matter how good of an idea it seems, and no matter how many coupons you have for free jr. Frostys, it is not a good idea to let kids eat them in the car. There is no amount of napkins that can clean up the mess. trust me.

It is good to thank God for all things... Food, cars, wii games, friends, puppies, hair, bath soap, chairs, leaves, trees, etc. I have come to realize that I skip the little daily items and only focus on the big things. I think God likes to hear that we notice everything around us.

Kids are drawn to the kitchen whenever you are preparing food. When you are trying to make something extra special they are not only drawn into the kitchen but they will arrive in full tantrum mode.

The gold leaves are the prettiest in the fall. They look like butterflies fluttering to the ground.

Kids will say the most embarrassing things when in a crowd and in the loudest voice possible. Case in point.....Callie yelling "you have big boobs" while shopping at Kohl's.

Life is the sweetest when you are surrounded by your family.

peer pressure

Bryce loves having friends. He is always asking when we can go play with someone. This past week he has also made several other requests. It seems peer pressure is starting to set in.

He asked me if I would buy him Sketchers. How in the world does a 5 year old know what Sketchers are? I figured it could be worse and agreed to get him a pair. He needs some new shoes anyway. Bye Bye Stride Rite and hello Sketchers.

He asked me if he could wear his pirate shirt today. He wore it Friday and usually I try to cycle through clothes before re wearing something. It seems Iris and Avery liked the shirt and they asked him to wear it today. At first I said no. He had never asked for a specific shirt so I figured that it wasn't a big deal. Well, it was a big deal and I conceded. He happily walked into school with his pirate shirt proudly displayed. When they came running over to him he gave me this little "told ya so" grin.

I am counting my blessing that the peer pressure is currently harmless. I know one day we will face much bigger issues then Sketchers and pirate shirts!

I love this picture....Cody is one of Bryce's favorite friends

talking in sentences

Callie has somehow progressed from talking in 2 or 3 word phrases to speaking in full on sentences. It is fun watching her explain her thoughts through words. She also loves to repeat everything that her brother says....sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes not so much. Yesterday on the way home Bryce's foot fell asleep and he began crying that it hurt. She looked at him with a really serious look, and said "what hurts Tyce (how she says Bryce)? Your foot....mommy put a bandaid on it and it will feel better. Don't be sad". So sweet!

She also has several favorite phrases that she loves to say over and over... The first is "hold on". She holds up one finger when she says this and gives you this "you need to be patient" look. The other favorite phrase is "don't cry". If you ask for a kiss or a hug she will say no, start walking away, and then look back at you and say this. Such an ego at 2! I will remember to tell her this when she starts dating!!

Christmas in November

It seems like Xmas festivities start earlier and earlier every year. This year, one week after Halloween weekend, Santa arrived at Bass Pro Shop (for those of you who do not know, that is Bryan's current place of employment). I got the kids dressed up, took some pictures hoping to get some for xmas cards (think I got a couple!), and headed to Bass Pro with a friend and her kids. Santa arrived on a boat and then moved inside to his "workshop". We had a time card for an appointed time to see him.....8:30!....we got the card at 5pm! We wasted time hanging out in the mall and the store and finally got to meet Santa and take a picture with him. The kids did great and he was a really amazing Santa. He talked to the kids forever and was wonderful with Callie (If you live in the Lawrenceville area I highly recommend going....you get a free 4x6 and can pick up a time card in the am and go back in the evening at your appointed time). Bryce and Callie were in complete awe. It was so much fun seeing their eye's light up. I'm still not sold on Xmas in November but for an hour or so it was nice experiencing the Christmas spirit. Now lets all eat Turkey!

Bryce's letter to McCain

Bryan and I both got to vote yesterday. I stood in line for about 1 1/2 hrs and he waited a little under an hour. It was amazing to see so many people out voting. We then sat up last night and watched the results. No matter who you voted for you can not deny that it was a milestone in American history.

So this morning I decided to chat with Bryce about the results. We have been talking about the candidates and he was aware that yesterday was the day to vote (I brought home a sticker for both of the kids). Well, I informed Bryce that Obama had won. Here is the conversation that followed:

Bryce: So who lost? McCain?

Me: Yes, McCain lost.

Bryce: Well...do you think he is sad?

Me: Probably. It's not fun losing

Bryce: Well maybe I can make him a card. Could you mail it to him?

Me: Yes, I guess we could mail him a card. What would you like it to say?

Bryce: I'm sorry you lost. But I don't really care becuase I'm only five.

trick or treat

We had a great Halloween. The kids got to wear their costumes to school where they had a small party (the teachers call it a "special snack day" - why not just call a party what it really is...a party?). Callie was dressed as a bumblebee and on the way to school kept saying "I'm a bee and I'm going to sting all my friends....buzzzz". She cracks me up! After school we stopped by my mom's school so she could see the kids dressed up. Bryce got really upset when everyone started calling him spiderman. After one teacher said "go save the world spidy", He got very upset and said "don't they know I'm just a boy in a costume?". Too cute!

We had a party at our house last night. Chili, soup, salad, and bread for the grown-ups and mummy hot dogs and mac and cheese for the kids...yumm! We ate dinner before heading out to trick or treat. The kids had a blast and everyone got way too much candy. We ended at our house where the kids all dumped out their bags to check out their goodies. After cookies, cake, and plenty of jumping and running around everyone headed home. Bryce and Callie crashed hard shortly after and slept in this morning. I guess all that sugar is good for something!!

PS....Blind Melon is not my favorite band and that is not why Callie is dressed like a bee.

Here are some pictures for the day.

3 days, 60 miles, thousands of memories

I did it! I walked all sixty miles....no sweep van for me. My foot isn't too happy about this and I have already been to one doctor and have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on Monday. But...it was worth it. I had an amazing time. We laughed almost the entire 60 miles. There was not much laughing on Friday. It rained and it was really, really cold. We even ate our lunch outside in the rian! By the end of the day my rain pants were shredded and my clothes under my poncho were soaked! They moved camp to an empty office building so we could sleep someplace warm and dry. The rest of the weekend was sunny and warm and it made the walking go a lot quicker. My team raised over 40k and the total raised in Atlanta was over 8 million! Thanks to everyone for your support. Of course I will be walking again next year so let me know if you want to join in the fun!

Here is a short video of my pictures from the weekend.

here I go again...

I'm all packed and ready to go! The 3 day is such an amazing and challenging event. Raising $2,200 is challenging enough but then we walk 60 miles! Walking that far is not really that hard. It's more mind over matter. You just have to tell yourself you can do it and put one foot in front of the other. I know that this year is going to be a lot harder due to my current injury, but I am just as determined to do it. Crazy, maybe...but those of you that have walked the 3 day completely understand.

So wish me luck. And wish Bryan and the kids luck.... a weekend with dad is always an adventure. The going joke at our house is that Bryan will text me a picture of the kids next to that days newspaper as "proof of life". Ha ha....but not so far from the truth.!