What To Do During Kids Nap?

There are a MILLION things I should do... Laundry, paperwork, housework, exercise, shower, etc.

There a HUNDRED MILLION things I want to do... Read my book, play on the computer, watch junk tv, reorganize my shoes, shop online, plan my next vacation, etc.

And there is what I did today...




Trying to be proactive and make a healthy din-din for my family, I figured I could spend 30 min of my oh-so-precious alone time cooking.

Note that the active time in above recipe is 30 minutes. It's a LIE! It took me every bit of the 2.5 hours the kids were asleep to make these stupid quinoa cakes!




I tried one and they were delish, but would I ever make them again? Never, ever, ever...

Would my opinion be different if I had made them with Stephen helping me with a bottle of Pinot? Maybe...

My two little sleepers slept for 3 hours today...

Luke



Sidney



The others chillin...

Mitchell


Briellen


Ivy



Since they are almost 5, I toss around the idea of dropping their nap, but can't bring myself to do it! They still go to bed at 7:30, so I am not very motivated to do it! Thoughts?


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My Little Dudes

We split the kids up this weekend... Girls with Daddy to lay some sort of plastic something in the church grass (and to play at Nain's across the street.)  And the boys stayed at home with me to get my chores done.  [We totally planned for it to be the girls with me and the boys with Stephen, but when it all shook out, the boys wanted to stay and girls wanted to go]

It is always so much fun having a couple all to myself... Experiencing what I think is "so simple" and seeing the different dynamics between the two when the others are not around.  {Now, my girls with only two children... I KNOW that life with two is not always simple and can be just as crazy as mine, but it just SEEMS like it when I have any number less than five at any given moment!}

And being with only boys is an experience I treasure... especially, when before children I thought I only wanted girls!  I would DIE without my boys and love every beastly minute with them!!!

(Again, WHY are my iphone pics so stinking blurry!?!)

Snack Time

Being a Worm

Playing Whale Rescue

(I love how close they play to each other!)

Building Forts

Dance Cardio with me!

(Tracy Anderson Method -- Give me a few months and I'll let you know if it's worth it.)

Luke's Robot Dance Cardio

Enjoyed my day with boys!!!


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Another 40th Celebration!

I am so lucky that my best friend and sister, Amy, married someone that I ADORE!  Damon is an amazing friend and I love him with all of my heart!  (We joke that I am his sister-wife, because I am around them so much! HA!)

The old goat turned 40 this year, so we spent the day celebrating with all of our best friends!  

First stop Kung Fu Saloon, which is a cute little spot on Washington that has fun games, like giant Jenga, giant 4 Squares and free Skee ball and amazing fried pickles.  (Stay away from the jalapeno poppers,  huh, girls?!?)

Baby Sister Marg, Amy and Damon, Stephen and me, Dana and Chris

Skee Ball

Next stop... ZaZa!  We LOVE this hotel and stay there as often as we can!  Amy and Damon got a suite so we could all get ready for the night without going home!

Yellow Sisters

Ready for the Night!

Amy, Me, Dana, Marg

Birthday Boy

(Had to get the flower chandelier in the pic!)

Dinner at Sparrow.... Best brussel sprouts EVA!

Getting Crazy with the Beaker Water

I forgot the name of this bar, but they made the martinis and then sent them through this bank shoot...  crazy!

Last stop was the Red Door... revamped for those of you who remember it from our youth.  It always makes me laugh when we do things that are clearly for the younger set... Although we have a blast just being with each other, we definitely show our age...   It was FREEZING, too loud, too crowded and too many young people drinking too much...  

Dana and Me

The Girls!

(Notice how close we are sitting... So cold!)

We missed all of our besties that couldn't come!!  

D... you are SO loved and I can't wait to see what the next 40 years brings!!

p.s. (Why are my iphone pics so blurry?!?)

p.s.s. (Esteban and Uncle Jim, why are the no pics of you??)

Rainbow

Just last week my munchkins were complaining that they had never seen a rainbow... Well, yesterday their wish came true! Our power went out, so despite the drizzle and wetness, we went outside to escape the stuffiness of the house. They were having a blast jumping in puddles and getting soaked when I noticed the biggest rainbow!




One of the things I love most about being a mother is experiencing things through my children's eyes! How the ordinary can seem so extraordinary when looking from a different perspective!

They were so excited and I was so excited... Happy moment!




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Catch up!

Just Blogged about Halloween!  But because I dated it in October it doesn't show up first...  Click HERE to read!!! 

The Tooth Fairy Visits Unexpectedly

Ivy bumped her tooth about a year ago... I don't even remember how it happened, I just remember one day seeing that behind the tooth was gray.  The dentist said yes, the tooth was dead and as long it didn't change colors and there was no pain we wouldn't have to pull it.  I have been over protective of that tooth for a year... I can't tell you how many times I've yelled "HER TOOTH" when she is wrestling with her dad or "YOUR TOOTH" when she is carelessly swinging a toy around. 

Well, the inevitable happened and she bonked it again.  I randomly noticed one day a fistula on her gums.  A fistula looks like a juicy pimple... The dentist had told me to be on the look out.  It is a miracle that I even saw it, it was so high up on her gums.  A mother's intuition always amazes me... Like God telling me to check her gums even though I didn't know I needed to!

I took her back to the dentist right away and sure enough the x-ray revealed an abcess that was infected.  (The fistula is the infected junk trying to drain.)  So that baby had to come out.

Now, I can't even explain to you how upset I was.... I am not sure even why!!  But as I was by myself, I sucked it up and found a happy face and made it seem like this was the best thing that could ever happen to Ivy.  (I cringe when I think of how over the top I was talking about loosing her first tooth and the tooth fairy in the dentist office!)

She was such a trooper... Afraid and weeping, but none of the epic Ivy throw downs that she is known for at home when she anticipates something hurting her.  (i.e. She acted like we were going to saw her foot off one time she had a splinter and Stephen had to get it out with a needle.)  Aunt Mimi met us at the dentist and we had a special play date at Chick-fil-a!  (I NEVER take my kids inside to play and they ALWAYS want to go, so it was a big deal for her to get to go in...)

Because I was totally unprepared for a tooth fairy visit, we didn't have a special tooth fairy pillow or gold coins or anything else fancy, but she seemed to be just as happy with a dollar.  (I was going to over compensate with $20, but Stephen kept me in check.)  I think a second tooth will be the new big deal tradition in our house.

I was reflecting on why I was/am so emotional about this and I think it is twofold.  One, loosing a tooth is a big milestone for a kid... it means you are a big kid!  I don't think I am ready for her to be a big kid yet!  Two, this happened too early and so in some part of my mind I consider it as something "bad" happening to her.  I want so badly to protect all of my children from anything bad.

In case you are curious about the fistula... here is what is looked like. ICK!

Happy Anniversary!

8 years with my love!  Never been happier!!!