3 years

It is Lance's Birthday today. He is three. I can't believe that 3 years ago this was, him, eight and half pounds, twenty some odd inches long. It has been a good three years and I look forward to many more birthdays. I miss my little baby, but I do enjoy the little boy you have become. My sweet baby boy is growing up so fast.

slacker mommy

I don't know if I am going to make it through potty training.
First off we have a very busy schedule and we aren't home all day most days.
Secondly, I am not a patient focused person which was evident this morning. I have two kids, it is hard to stay focused on just one.
Since we were spending the day at home I asked Lance if he wanted to wear his Thomas underwear. He said yes so I reminded him that pee and poo goes in the potty and not the pants. I should mention that he has gone in the potty before, worn underwear before and I thought we would have success this morning, but I was wrong. Every five minutes or so I would ask him if he needed to go. He would say no, but twice he did sit on the potty, but nothing happened. We went upstairs, with potty to play. I reminded him every five minutes or so, even came up with a song. He had been in underwear for a long time and I was going to try and get him to sit on the potty, but then I got sidetracked and the next thing I know Lance is walking a little funny. He had peed and then to my horror I realized he had pooped too. After cleaning up the floor and Lance I asked him once again what he wanted to wear. He chose underwear again and I reminded him that he needed to go in the potty. I figured I had a bit of time since he just went, but I was mistaken. He was playing on his bed then he got down and walked to the door. He held onto the door frame, lifted his leg slightly and peed, and boy did he ever. I was so shocked that it was hard to contain my giggles. AHHHH! How do parents potty train their kids? So Lance went right back to diapers and I feel like Lance will never be potty trained, he did so good last week, what happened? If constant vigilance is the key to potty training, Lance is going to go to Kindergarten in diapers. Part of me feels this whole process would be easier if he could talk. Parenthood can be so frustrating and messy at times. I really need a light at the end of the tunnel in so many areas in my life right now, potty training included. I feel like such a failure, can't something just go easy for once?

8 months

Lily is now 8 months, growing so big so fast.
She can almost crawl- she does a little get on all floors, drag legs to hands, sit up, repeat.
She has one tooth.
She is extremely smiley, her whole face gets working in a smile.
She has pulled herself into a standing position in her crib, so her mattress has now been lowered.
She will sit up when she is down with her nap.
She really likes cheerios and more into her dinner cereal and baby food.
She loves Lance and wants to play with everything he has.
She is just my sweet potato and I wish she would stay this small forever.

catching up

Last week was my mom's spring break from school so I talked her into getting away for a few days to make her spring break more memorable. We packed up the van and the kiddos and headed to Wilmington to have a few days down at the beach. We had a great time, despite the cooler weather, it wasn't warm enough to go swimming (though some people were, they must have been from up North where sixties is hot). We had a good time despite the cooler weather and did a lot in our three days.

As soon as we arrived we decided to walk around UNC- Wilmington. I graduated nine years ago and it looks so different! I had to ask someone where the bookstore was because we couldn't find it. We walked around campus admiring all the changes that have taken place. Lance had a blast running from one fountain to the next (there are a ridiculous number of fountains around campus, some of the them in ponds to keep mosquitoes at bay and some are just decorative).

lance looking like he is about to get into trouble at one of the fountains

The kiddos and I at the clocktower. Lance, who usually won't pose for pictures was feeling very loving then, it is my favorite picture.

one of many fountains on campus, this one is the prettiest in my opinion

After UNCW we headed out to Wrightsville Beach and checked in to our hotel. We didn't have a oceanfront room, but we had a good view of the Intercoastal Waterway and the island.

our view at the hotel

Then we went out to survey the beach, but didn't stay long because it was a bit chilly. By that time it was close to six so we headed out to grab something to eat. After dinner we hit up the Fresh Market for goodies and a few other stores we don't have around here then we called it a night.

The next morning we headed south to go to the aquarium. It was fun and I enjoyed Lance's reaction to the many creatures we discovered.

us and the alligator, lance would not turn away, he was quite skittish

in front of the shark tank, Lance looks a bit scared, he didn't like having his back turned

Lance's favorite creature at the aquarium, the lobsters. They were in a circular tank and would walk around and around the bottom, and he followed them, They were HUGE too.

After the aquarium we got lunch and went to Airlie Gardens. The gardens were closed when I lived in Wilmington because they were damaged by Hurricane Fran, so I had never been. I couldn't get over how beautiful it was. We admired the trees, the flowers, the geese, and the swans. I had never seen a swan up close, I didn't realize they were so BIG!!

Airlie Oak, it was a beautiful, huge over 100 year old oak tree. The gardens were magnificent. If I didn't have small children with me I could have stayed all day, it was amazing. According to the map/brochure, the gardens prime was in the 1930's, I can't imagine how amazing the place was, if it currently was not in the best condition because it looked pretty nice to me.

Lance got really into taking pictures, he even got some good ones. I loved how serious he was!

my favorite stop on our walk around Airlie Gardens. There was a pergola with wisteria above us and cement stairs descending into the lake, it was breathtaking.

Lily and I by the fountain, it was so pretty I didn't want to leave.

After the gardens we headed back to the hotel for a little breather and my old roommate came over and hung out with us for a few hours, it was nice to see her again and listen to her exciting life. We went to dinner with Miccah and then crashed, it was a long day.

Friday morning we got going early and headed up to Topsail Island to spend a few hours before we headed home. We had a good time playing in the sand, eating lunch at my favorite deli, and getting some fudge for the trip home.

Lily playing in the sand for the first time, she tried to eat it and discovered it was a bit gritty.

ahh, the beach, my favorite place. we hung out on the beach at Topsail for a few hours, it was a little cooler than I would like, but we had a good time playing in the sand. I can't wait to go back in a few months.

The trip was a jam packed three days and a lot of fun. There were a few difficult moments, it is a lot harder to travel with two kids and be couped up in a hotel, but we survived and I look forward to going back soon.

Easter morning discovery

Yesterday morning our church had breakfast before service so there was some downtime between services. A friend was holding Lily and Lily turned and gave me a large open mouthed grin and that is when I was surprised to discover that she had a small little tooth poking out.
Her first tooth on Easter Sunday!
It is barely visible above the gum, but it is there.
My little baby girl is getting big so fast.
She is one more step away from newborn and closer to toddler, it is really bittersweet.
So yesterday we not only celebrated the resurrection day, we celebrated Lily's first tooth.

Saturday night fun

Last night we wanted to do something fun and different, it was the weekend, and everyone else is doing something fun and exciting, right? So what is a family of four with two young kids going to do fun on a chilly night when funds are close to zero?
Build a fire and make s'mores!

It was a blast!

I finally got to use the hot dog/marshmallow, rotating, telescoping sticks from Restoration Hardware I got for Christmas a while ago, definitely easier to use then sticks.

After consuming some s'mores we burned some marshmallows until there was nothing left, strangely entertaining.


The s'mores were very delicious, though the chocolate didn't always melt like it is suppose to.

After enjoying our little fire in our backyard we went in and got ready for bed. It was nice, other than a quick stop at the grocery store we got to pretend we were somewhere else and not even have to leave our backyard.

easter fun at home

Last year I didn't do a lot at Easter, actually I don't think I did much of anything. No egg dying, no cards, no crafts, no cookies or sweets, I think we hid a few eggs around for Lance to find, pretty lame holiday last year I must say. I have a good excuse though, I was pregnant which made me tired, easily grossed out, overwhelmed, impatient, and not a lot of fun to be around. So this year we had some fun, and having Lance older made the activities easier to do and more fun.
Last weekend we made Easter sugar cookies. Lance had a blast cutting out the shapes and sprinkling the colored sugars. I was tempted to decorate them with icing all fancy and pretty, but I have realized that Lance decorating them is special because it is something we can do together. I am learning to let go of my perfectionism and embrace my little helper.

(lance got fancy, two handed sugar application)

Last night we made Easter cards for the family. Lance helped a lot on those, he cut the paper into small squares, glued the squares onto egg shaped cards, and wrote his "name" on all the cards. The cards turned out nice looking and it was fun, especially since Lance could do so much on his own.

(our finished card)

This morning we dyed Easter eggs and that was a bit chaotic. We set out all the cups, he put the tablets in, he poured in the vinegar, and then he did not like waiting for the tablets to dissolve, and got quite impatient. He kept trying to pour in the additional water before the tablets had dissolved.

(lance using his favorite scissors to open up the package of tablets)

Setup for dying was hard, but once we introduced the eggs, things got even harder. Gentle isn't a concept he seems to be familiar with.

(lance wanted to do everything himself, even attempt to remove the eggs from the dye)

He kept trying to drop the hard boiled eggs into the dye which cracked a few of the eggshells because they landed with a thud. Once they were in the dye he would pull them out immediately and then want a new egg. He lacked a lot of patience in this whole project. It was hard to dye the egg, help him get the eggs in gently (he wanted to do it himself), convince him to let the eggs sit for a minute or two, help him get the eggs out without getting dye everywhere, and to leave the eggs alone while drying. As the eggs were drying he kept trying to pick them up, getting dye all over his hands, it was a bit hectic since I was trying to finish dying the eggs.

(showing off his dyed egg)

The eggs did turn out nice looking, not Martha Stewart quality, but good for a toddler.

(notice the finger prints on the pink one? on the green and blue I tried to do a design with a crayon, but was a little too harried, but they are fun)

We had a couple of causalities, but for the most part we have a quite a few to enjoy. He was quite proud of himself and I think he had a good time which is what it is all about.

(i took this right after he dropped an egg into the bowl breaking the shell of the green egg on top, as you can see- gentleness isn't something we have mastered yet)

cold weather funk

Today it is cold!
It isn't technically freezing cold, but it is a lot colder than the seventy degree weather we enjoyed on Sunday.
It is April and I am ready for spring.
It is cold and I am in a funk.
I can't get motivated to get anything productive done.
Looking on the bright side, maybe this mini-cold snap will kill all the bugs, just hopefully spare my flowers.
Must go do something. . .

is it a good thing or not?

Jeff just completed our taxes and we will be getting a refund! Yeah! 1,000 dollars, which is a lot to me, I don't know if it is a lot to others because we haven't gotten a refund in YEARS, 8 actually. So the good news: we are getting some money that we desperately need. The bad news, or the flip side, that means we did really bad business wise last year.
or maybe not
just got off the phone with Jeff, he might have found something left out which may flip everything to us owing money, we will have to wait and see
i should have known it was too good to be true

thankful today

the weather is funky again, i am tired of the rain and cold temperatures, i have a baby girl and I need warm weather so I can bust out all the cute dresses and outfits and show off some cute baby legs!
Today I am thankful for:
1- my need to be organized and keep things for a long time
since I keep everything longer than probably necessary- a trait I inherited from my mother who inherited it from her parents- actually made things a bit easier for Jeff who is doing our taxes. I was able to let him know exactly how much we have been paying in several categories which will hopefully allow us to not have to pay so darn much!
2- kraft food and family magazine
it has very simple and easy recipes that contain ingredients that I already have, can use for more than one recipe, and aren't that expensive
the food is easy to make because I don't have time to spend over 1 hour on prep for dinner
tonight's dinner is from the magazine- roasted chicken with cream cheese and rosemary underneath the skin to make it very moist and delicious
the recipes i find aren't as fancy as say everyday foods, but if lance will eat them, i will make them so then I don't have to fix something different for him
3- fresh baked chocolate chip cookies
thanks to martha stewart's everyday foods, I made some chocolate chip cookie dough, placed small portions in the freezer so whenever I need a fix I pull a few out and bake- yummy
4- quicken
it has helped us immensely we know how much money we have, where all the money went, and we, i just wish we had a little more money to manage
5- cordless telephones- i would never talk on the phone if I didn't have a cordless phone
6- my DVR- skip through commercials, keep up with tv shows without having to stay up late, have something decent to show Lance when he needs to chill out, and have something to watch when all i want to do is watch
7- claritin being over the counter- we can seek relief without going to the doctor! need i say more
8- mechanical pencils- pencil sharpeners are messy and I don't currently have one and I prefer to write in pencil sometimes
9- crate and barrel- their products are bright and cheery and many of their kitchen gadgets aren't too expensive
10- kitchen gadgets- i love my stoneware, spatulas, ice cream maker, mixer, bread maker, etc, it just makes cooking fun

Lance's favorite recipe

Lance is a very particular eater. I don't make him special dinners, so he generally just doesn't eat very much. He doesn't always eat a lot of meat, he is more of a bread kind of guy. Last night though I hit the jackpot on dinner for Lance. He loves this chicken recipe I found on kraft's website and though the ingredients sound kind of strange and I get grossed out making the marinade, it is so good. Though the chicken was cut up in small pieces he ate a whole chicken breast worth, we would give him a little, but he kept asking for more and more. I too ate more than usual, I can't get enough of it, it is so good, it definitely tastes better than it looks. I have been surprised lately by some new recipes I have tried that the ingredients sounds gross together, but they turn out being really good. So Lance officially has a favorite recipe and when he can talk I am sure he will request it. As an added bonus, he helped me make the marinade, he loves to help in the kitchen and since no ovens were required I let him!

Lance's favorite Chicken Recipe (Sizzlin' Chicken Skewers from kraftsfoods.com)
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Grey Poupon
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (though I sometimes don't have fresh so this isn't always included)
1 lb chicken cut into smaller pieces
I mix the first six ingredients together and pour over chicken, let marinade for at least an hour, then put them on the grill, pouring marinade over the chicken with each turn.

It sounds gross, but it is so good!