My Boys

I was just telling my sister all sorts of stuff about where the boys are these days and what they're doing and she convinced me to write it all down. Maybe this will turn into a scrapbook page some day... at the least, this should be a good update for all you out-of-towners (assuming any of you still read my blog).

N.J.A.
NJ's never been much of a singer, but suddenly started singing a lot.  He's constantly surprising me by turning everyday tasks into songs or trying to sing along with a song he's never even heard before. It's facinating to me.  I'm thinking this is because of preschool, where they sing a song together everyday.  Sure, I sign to him all the time (every day of his life since birth) but maybe there's something about seeing your friends do it (and here I thought he was immune to social pressure)?

Monday, after doing great at his very first dentist appt, we got lunch at Carl's Jr. After eating one Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger and half of the fries we were sharing, NJ says, "Can I have another cheeseburger?" Seriously? Cause you're THREE!  What does this mean for me 10 years from now? Hopefully this is just a little growth spurt. Saturday night at small group, I think he ate 4 pieces of quesadilla, 9 tomatoes, 10 baby carrots, and half a muffin before he was full enough to be distracted by the other kids... Every other two or three year old there ate the 3 bites their were required and not a nibble more!

It seems like nap time, and bed time for that manner, is a constant struggle now.  I'm not sure if he is getting to a point where we're going to have to drop the nap or what... I really really really like nap time, so I'd have to transition to a quiet time where he still has to be in his room sleeping. I might need to invest in some sort of timer as well. Something visible so he can see that quiet time is not, in fact, over.  Would that keep him from asking me every 2 minutes if it's time to get up?
 

L.S.A.
Gunner is in a funny little phase. He can't technically crawl, since he never gets his tummy off the ground, but the boy is mobile. I'll turn my back for a minute and he'll be 10 feet from where I set him down and into something I forgot to put away. He finds paper especially interesting- it's right up there with mommy's cell phone and camera. He'll pull up to standing on his knees, but never to his feet. Maybe that's because he's so tall that he can reach whatever he wants while standing on his knees.


He's drooling as much as his brother did, which is a seriously significant amount.  I think he's starting to get his top two front teeth in, but I really can't see them yet.  He runs his tongue over his gums there over and over- makes me wonder what it feels like!  His little itchy spot seems to bother him a lot- poor guy. We seem to have to put hydro-cortisone on it at least once a day. I guess I need to get him into a pediatric dermatologist...


It seems like he's doing his pterodactyl impression less than he used to (knock on wood). He's definitely making a lot of cute pre-word sounds.  I think he's said "da-da" a time or two but it's hard to tell.  For sure he's MAD if daddy walks in the door and gos to the bedroom without stopping to say hello!

When I wave at him he laughs and laughs and then tries to wave back.  when I clap for him, he laughs and laugh and trys to clap back, but generally his little chubby hands miss each other.

It's interesting to see which items Gunner's most interested in. It seems like the exact toys that NJ really was never interested in, LS loves.  For sure their personalities are different. Gunner still laughs at anything and everything, while NJ was very serious. The marked exception to this game of opposites is that they both LOVE the red canister vacuum and green beans.

The Caged MBA

I seriously can not even count the number of posts I've started recently and never finished.  My brain is running in overdrive and I'm tending to way too many pots on the stove. They're all boiling hot and all crammed together.  ok, enough of that metaphor.  Put simply, I'm busier than my normal.

It all started when Gunner turned 6 months old.  I remember a similar feeling when NJ was 6 months old. I started feeling a bit like a caged animal.  The University of Phoenix only asks me to teach about twice a year and I had to turn the last one down because Gunner was just born. Plus, I'm really struggling to take on new Real Estate cilents knowing how hard it is to give quality service while staying at home with my kids, so I've partnered with a co-worker to help me out.  However, most the work is crazy last minute stuff, so there's nothing for me to sink my teeth into there either. The MBA in me was trying to turn anything and everything into a business, but the MOM in me didn't want to look for day-cares.

So, I started researching.  I ended up deciding that the reason so many stay-at-home-mom's do Direct Sales is because Direct Sales was practically made for stay-at-home-moms! The idea that you could schedule yourself to work a few evenings a week and that 'work' would be hanging out and chatting with other adults for a few hours was VERY appealing!  So, I transitioned my research to all the direct sales companies out there.  Let me tell you, there are A LOT of them!

After several days of reading, I decided on a few criteria (see how nerdy I am?).

• The first thing I needed was a product I loved.  I guess that's obvious, but how do you sell something you're not all that excited about?  
• Next, I needed a direct sales company that had been around a while, since many of these companies seem to come and go. The last thing I wanted to do is buy in, only to have them go under and I'm stuck with worthless samples!
• Third, I didn't want to have to carry any inventory because I don't have that much cash laying around with nothing better to do than be invested in non-interest bearing products. On that same line of thinking, I wanted the samples to be things I could use, because who has room to store the stuff? 
• Forth, I needed low or no sales quotas, because I'm not sure how much time it'll take or how much time I'll have to put into it. I do have a baby and a toddler after all!
• Fifth, I needed the company to offer such generous hostess benefits that I don't have to talk people into hosting a party.  I really hate that feeling of needing to convince someone to do something they really don't want to do!
• Sixth, I really wanted a high profit margin. No use working the business if I'm doing it for free, right? (ok, so in all honesty, I'd probably do it for free. After all, I was feeling like a caged animal!)
• Seventh, I'd like to find a business that had such a limited number of distributors in my area that I had very little competition.

So, are you curious what company could meet all those???? Well, I actually ended up with two: Discovery Toys met all but #6 and Premier Design Jewelry met all but #7. So, what in the world is a girl to do... pretty jewelry for mommy or educational toys for the boys????  start both, of course! Yes, crazy Julie signed up and bought into both PDJewelry and DToys in September.  

So, it's been more than a little crazy.

I had my PDJ grand opening on the Sept 24th and did a casual DT Open house the last week of Sept.  I've also talked to at least 25 Dr. offices and preschools in person and on the phone to see if they're interested in the toys.  I've found the cold calling to take a little more motivation than I expected. I actually have to give myself a little pep-talk before each and every call.

I've got 6 PDJ shows booked, but my goal is 9 before Nov. 8th to earn the special free sample bonus.  On the DT side, I have sales $ goals to earn bonuses.  I'm trying to promote DT online as much as I can, but PDJ is so committed to the home party business model that we're not allowed to promote it online, so I guess I better not say much more about it here. 

I'm hoping that the two businesses will mesh well together. I love the toys and the jewelry, so surely other people will too. However, that means that on top of all the regular start up stuff, which is all laid out for me by Discovery Toys Corp and Premier Design Jewelry Corp., I'm also trying to invent the combination of the two.  I have a tag line that I love: "Toys + Jewelry = Everybody's Happy" but I'm still struggling to come up with an actual company name...  more about that later.

In the mean time, perhaps you'd like to check out my DT facebook page, www.facebook.com/DiscoveryToysJulie and 'like' it for me. I've got some cute pics of the boys playing with the toys up there. I think both NJ and Gunner are thrilled their mommy sells toys!
Then you can shop online at www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/home/julieabels.  Christmas is coming up you know... I'd even love to help you pick out the perfect toy for the kids in your life!

Well, I'll try to post a little more often. I have so much to say, just a little distracted right now! :)

Preschool

Today was NJ's first day of preschool!  While I am super-excited about it (as I am all things 'school') I think NJ was a little apprehensive, as evidenced by our early morning conversation:

NJ: "Mommy, I don't think we have to go to preschool today."
ME: "I talked to one of the other mommies and, did you know, you're having cupcakes in school today for her daughter's birthday?"
NJ: Well, I suppose we could go." 

Ha! I've never been so happy that someone would be feeding my child cupcakes!

He still seemed a little reluctant on the drive over, but we got there crazy early (the only way I get anywhere on time anymore is to be 1/2 hour early...) so he had a few minutes to play on the playground with some other kids.  I think that melted his fears because when we went into the classroom, he immediately sat down by another boy and started playing cars.  I actually had to pull him back over to me to say goodbye (and remind him to follow the teacher's instructions).

A few people have asked me if I was going to cry or did I cry. This is such a strange question to me.  I think this is a wonderful exciting day!  My boy is growing up and it's great! Why in the world would I cry? Perhaps this comes back to me not really being a baby-person.  My mom LOVES babies- I mean she's crazy about them. She'd love to pick up and cuddle every baby she sees.  I know other people are like that too, so I guess for them it's a little sad that their baby is growing up.  However, I don't relish the baby stage. It's so much work and so little payoff (and so little sleep). I'm much happier with a walking/talking/potty-trained son.  So, it many ways this is a relief for me. I feel like we've passed all the big baby hurdles and now it really starts to get fun! Maybe I'll cry out of joy when my 2nd (and last) goes to preschool. (I think he weighs the same as some of the other preschoolers- 23 pounds now...)

Now, I suppose I should make the most of this time and go vacuum or do something else productive...

Underestimating

For some reason I've always been very cognizant of how much adults underestimate kids- babies, specifically. So when I became a mother I was really determined not to underestimate my own kids. However, I quickly discovered how hard that is. Babies grow and change so fast and they each learn things in a different order, so while you're looking for one milestone, they've leap-frogged it and suddenly they know how to do something or understand something you never expected!

Somehow, this has happened a few times in the space of two days.

First, I'm used to being able to lay Gunner down on the blanket I've carefully laid out for him with a few toys for him to play with, and walk away for a moment while make him a bottle or finish my makeup.  If he drops his toy or gets lonely, he'll cry and I'll come get him.  But this morning I went to check on him and he had rolled / belly scooted his way off the blanket by a foot or so, to grab one of NJ's toys (that I would never voluntarily let him play with without washing) and spit up on the carpet! So I guess the blanket thing isn't going to work much longer and I need to start being more careful of what's on the floor.

Next, I was really impressed today that when I sat Gunner up to a sitting position, he could pick up a toy and play with it.  He's been tripodding for a while, but not with much stability and not without both hands on the floor. Honestly, I think it kinda surprised him too because the next thing he did was drop the toy and look at me with both hands waving in the air, laughing, as if to say, "look mom! no hands!"

Last, and this one caught me most off guard,  I like to play a sort of peak-a-boo with him where I lay his taggie on his face and say, "where's baby?" Then I pull it off and say, "There you are!"  He loves this game and it's a sure way to get him to smile.  Well, when I was changing his diaper yesterday I did this a few times with him when I first laid him on the changing table and then turned my attention to the diaper itself.  He grabbed his own taggie and pulled it in front of his face and widely kicked his legs.  So, I played along and said, "Where's baby?" Then he pulled it off and I said, "There you are!" and he laughed and laughed and laughed.  The ability to move the taggie so quickly and precisely impressed me, but what really caught me off guard was how proud he was of himself for moving the taggie all on his own. I'm not sure I've described the scene well enough, but he suddenly seemed so much older and more interactive than I expected. In that moment, I caught a glimpse of the little boy he was growing into.

Ten On Tuesday

I didn't mean to avoid posting for a whole week, but it's Tuesday again and I haven't posted anything in spite of having a lot to post about.  But I can't remember anything that i was going to post about, so I guess I'll do Ten on Tuesday again

1. What is the worst movie you have ever seen?
-Training Day with Denzel Washington

2. Do you have a favorite Disney/Pixar film?
-I guess the Lion King, but I'm not super crazy about it

3. Do you have a favorite movie from the 80′s?
-not really.

4. Are there any movies you saw more than once in the theater?
-What's with all this focus on movies?

5. What is one city/area of the US (or country you live if you do not live in the US) that you have not seen but would like to see?
-Montana

6. What are your favorite toppings on an Ice Cream Sundae?
-something mint

7. How many proms did you go to? What color was your prom dress? If you went to muliple proms, what color was your favorite prom dress?
-Uh, 2 spring proms and 2 winter formals (all 4 were basiclly proms). I think the dresses were dark green, blue, black, and red. The red one was my favorite.

8. Is there a sport or extra-curricular activity that you didn’t get to try as a child that you wish you would have? (e.g. gymnastics, piano lessons, ballet, etc.)
-tennis

9. How many silblings do you have? Are you the oldest, middle, or youngest?
-one, I'm the baby

10. Do you feel like you fit in with your age group? Or do you feel younger/older than your age group?
-what's my group?

Ten On Tuesday

Have you heard of Ten On Tuesday? There seems to be a couple variations on the theme- some people do a top ten somethings, others have ten questions to answer about yourself or life.  I like the idea mostly from a getting-to-know you perspective, but for all those other reasons too.

So, here we go.  This list of questions comes from the Roots and Rings blog:

1. If given the opportunity, would you choose a mediocre job that paid well or your dream job that paid poorly?
-A dream job that paid poorly. I've had a mediocre job that paid well. I cried a lot. As a side note, I wonder where motherhood fits into that spectrum...

2. What is your favorite thing about the 4th of July? (For the foreigners: What is your impression of the 4th of July?)
-I wish it was camping, but we never seem to go on the 4th anymore.  I'm pretty sure my mom's favorite thing is watermelon and my husband's favorite thing is fireworks.

3. What’s the most random fact you know about American history?
-If I bothered to remember it then it wasn't random to me.

4. What is the best fireworks display you’ve ever seen?
-It was a little town near my granny.  I was young and the fireworks were up close!

5. Who taught you how to put on makeup?
-I'm not sure anyone ever taught me- perhaps it's time.

6. Have you ever gone through a financial planning process? Tell us about it.
-Yes, over and over. I love it- I'm sick that way.

7. What was your favorite outfit as a kid? Bonus points for pictures.
-I had this little dress when I was super young (I wonder how old I was). It was the color of orange sherbet and every time I saw it I wanted to wear it. I remember thinking it was soooo pretty!  Unfortunately, it was also very itchy, so I never wanted to wear it for long.

8. Do you prefer a beach, lake, swimming pool, or no water?
-I guess a swimming pool, if it's just for an afternoon.  However, if we're going to be there a few days, a beach.

9. Do you recycle? If not, why?
-Kinda. I've started a compost bin and I try to remember to bring my own bags to the grocery store, but Yuma doesn't offer any sort of recycling service so I guess the rest is just too inconvenient.

10. What are your thoughts and feelings about the Twilight Saga?
-I liked the books but haven't seen the movies for fear of them ruining the books for me.

FYI

Never do what I just did!  Gunner's been horribly fussy all day and I just realized that I switched from nursing to formula (mostly), introduced solids, and changed the brand of formula, all within 48 hours!  It's too much for his little gut to handle! My poor little guy is NOT comfortable.  *sigh* :(

Tripodding

These photos crack me up.  Sometimes Gunner will sit up in a tripod position for a whole minute before falling over, but today, he just couldn't do it!

And... just for fun, I thought I'd include one of my favorite pics of NJ in the same outfit at 9 months old (Gunner's 5 months old now).


 I think Gunner's growth is slowing and he's letting the other kids catch up.  This is actually a very good thing because if he doesn't, my sister and I are going to keep struggling to get clothes mailed after her 2 yr old outgrows them, in time for Gunner to wear them!

Milestones

(If discussions on nursing bother you, skip this post)

For a few weeks now little Gunner has been more than characteristically fussy.  I decided it must be teething- after all, he keeps most of one hand in his mouth and drools like crazy.  However, it's been upsetting how little he sleeps and how he insists on crying himself to sleep. It's also been frustrating how fussy he's been while nursing...

Monday night my hubby suggested I offer him a bottle after nursing.  Maybe, he reasoned, your milk supply is falling off like it did with NJ around 5 months.  So, we made him up a little 4 oz. bottle and do you know, the kid drank all 4 oz.!?!  Tuesday morning, I nursed him again and offered him 8oz. He drank it all again!!!  (This is especially surprising to me because I have my most milk first thing in the morning.) In fact, he drank a full 8 oz. at all 5 feedings, in addition to the nursing 3 of the feedings!  So, I think it's safe to say that my milk supply is waning, just like it did with NJ.  Really, now that I think about it, I should have recognized all the signs. At least someone did.  Poor NJ got the point that he would outright cry on and off while nursing (which meant I was crying on and off with him) for a whole week before we thought to give him a bottle.

I think I'll continue nursing a little, just to wean Gunner and let my milk supply stop on it's own, but I'm also starting solids.  I figure, if the kid can put that quantity of milk away, he's probably ready for some cereal as well.  This morning, after his 4am nursing and his 7am bottle, we tried cereal for the first time.  He didn't do great with it, but didn't do all that bad either. He was actually uncharacteristically stoic about the whole thing, so I'm glad I managed to get a least two happy pictures. It probably didn't help that I was yelling off and on at NJ to stop this or that. About half way through I remembered to smile and say "yuuuuum!" Poor guy. I think more ended up in his tummy than on the bib, but I wouldn't swear by it.

At least he seems happier overall.  Yesterday, he went to every nap without all the fuss and is sleeping longer.  Plus, he seems content to be on a 4 feeding schedule. Yay!  He's also making at least twice as many wet diapers for me to change.  Poor kid, I guess I should have noticed how few he had before! 

I'd been a little worried about weaning (my original goal was to make it 6 months nursing) because Gunner seemed to enjoy nursing sooooo much, but he seemed pretty happy today to be able to watch his brother play while drinking and he's definitely happier with a full tummy!

So, here begins the endless make food, feed, and clean up cycle. I'd forgotten how much work this is! Maybe I'll ask my mom to help me make up a stash of baby food for the deep freeze. When I started solids with NJ, I was so excited I could hardly wait! Plus, there was the fact that since he was my only child, I could clean up and prep the next meal while he napped. (Parenting a single child is soooo wasted on first time parents!) So the endless cycle didn't bother me quite so much.

The tips and tricks I had learned are slowly coming back to my memory now- like have a wet washcloth on hand, get his hands pinned down, and get him to laugh a little so he'll open his mouth.  I definitely remember rejoicing when he could do some finger foods and hold his own bottle.  (Maybe I'll write an ode to the day that he learns to feed himself.)

I suppose the moral of this story is that I should try to remember how it all went down with the first son and see if I can learn from it!

As if Gunner's first solids and a move to formula aren't enough milestones for one week, I think this also means I need to start seriously considering what I eat and how much exercise I get.  Without the extra 500 calories a day being spent on nursing, my current habits are NOT going to work for me. Serious Bummer.

VBS

I tried to ask NJ questions when I picked him up from VBS each day this week- I've gotten some pretty strange responses...

MONDAY:
Me: "So what did you learn about today?"
NJ: "We learned about Jesus! But he's not here."
Me: "oh yeah, where is he? Is he in your heart?"
NJ: No, he's in the other class."

WEDNESDAY:
Me: "So what's your favorite part of VBS?"
NJ: "playing outside"
(I'm pretty sure they only play outside BEFORE VBS, when he's in a 1/2 hour of childcare while I'm getting the craft room set up)

Me: "Tell me about the story time! What was the story about?"
(I knew it was Luke 10:25-37, so I was hoping to draw the story out of him...)
NJ: "The man got BEAT UP!!! He got beat up, mommy!!"

THURSDAY:
Me: "Tell me about the story time! What was the story about?"
(Again, I knew it was Luke 11:1-3...)
NJ: "he had no bread and he was knocking and knocking"
Me: "Oh, the man was knocking on his neighbor's door to ask for bread? And then what happened?"
NJ: " He kept knocking and knocking"
Me: "And then what happened?"
NJ: " He kept knocking and knocking"
Me: "And then, eventually, his neighbor came?"
NJ: "No, then the Eagle came!!!"
(I have NO clue what he's talking about!)

FRIDAY:
ME: "How was VBS today?"
NJ: "Can I listen to my VBS music now?"
(He was more than a little bit tired by then)

Like Christopher Robin

B has been trying to work with NJ on getting himself dressed.  Usually NJ just says he "can't" so we've been telling him to "Try try again, just like Pooh" in reference to one of his favorite books, Disney's Winnie the Pooh Try Try Again storybook.

Yesterday I was, once again, encouraging him to try to get his own shirt on when he said, with a triumphant little tone, "Christopher Robin helped Pooh. You have to help me like Christopher Robin helped Pooh!"

Touché!

My Blueberry Candy Cobbler Helper

A good friend of mine made the yummiest blackberry cobbler a few weeks ago and I've been itching to try making once since.  Last weeknd, I tried the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (11th Ed), but it wasn't as good.  So I got her to send me her recipe so I could try it too.  Her recipe looked much simpler than my first try, so, in an effort to do more WITH my two year old, instead of doing stuff near him, I asked NJ to be my big helper while making blueberry cobbler.

It was an easy recipe and turned out to be a fun activity.  Of course, after he helped make it, I HAD to let him try some, which was pretty special given the number of desserts I usually let him have. (I seem to be saying that a lot more often these days- maybe I'm not as restrictive as I think I am?)  He LOVED it so much he was speechless- just jumped up and down. (I wish I had a video or picture of it!)

After I tasted it, I realized it was waaaaaay too sweet.  It tuns out, I accidentally doubled the sugar... Now I think I'll have to call this one Blueberry Candy Cobbler so he won't be disappointed at all the future cobblers he tastes.

Now, what to do with all this candy cobbler?  B and I had some with some ice cream and that was ok, but still very sweet.  I tried a little bit with my morning coffee, but it was too sweet for early morning.  It seems a shame to throw it out, but it's just soooo sweet...  Then, I had an idea.  Normally, we mix a bit of brown sugar and raisins with our old fashioned oatmeal in the morning- what if we mixed candy cobbler with it instead?  Ah... perfection!  This is the best oatmeal I've ever had!

Here's the recipe, as I SHOULD have made it.  If you're making it to mix with your oatmeal, just double the sugar in both spots! I might try using a smaller dish next time to get a thicker cobbler...

-----------------------------------
Berry Cobbler

1 stick of butter
1 c flour
1 c milk
1 c sugar
2 t. baking power
4-5 c fruit (I used blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt the butter in a 9x13 dish.

Mix flour, milk, 1/2 c. sugar, and baking power.  Pour over butter.
Mix 1/2 c. sugar with berries and pour over flour mixture.
Bake at 350 until golden- about 30-35 min.
(The crust rises to the top and the berries sink to the bottom as it bakes.)
----------------------------------------------------

If you try it, let me know how it worked for you!

NJ's First Bow

When I was younger my dad and uncle took up archery as a more challenging way to hunt.  So in the off season, we started going to these Archery Shoots which are structured a lot like rounds of golf but with life-size 3D animal targets getting speared at 30-50 yards instead of a neat little ball rolling into a hole. (Don't get me wrong, Dad and I love golf too!) Within a few years I was old enough, or more importantly, strong enough, to pull a bow and was a little bored walking the course with nothing to do. So my dad bought me a bow and I started shooting with them.  At the time, there were so few girls in my age class, that I regularly won, if I was patient enough to shoot all the courses.  (Now I think there are plenty of young girls shooting, so it takes some skill to win.)  The best part of the Archery Shoots was always that we would camp at them.  I love camping- almost all my best kid memories are while we were camping in one spot or another. So when my husband and I moved back to Arizona a few years ago, I was anxious to start camping again! 

When our oldest son, NJ, was 9 months old, we took him camping for the first time and our little tent got snowed on.  We ended up sleeping in my mom and dad's camper and I laid awake all night with NJ in my sleeping bag, paranoid that I'd roll over on him in my sleep. It wasn't the most fun I'd had on a camping trip to say the least, so we bought a camper. Since then, we've really enjoyed our camper. It's a lot of work to get ready and it's still challenging to camp with the little ones, but I can give them a bath each night and turn out the heater if it gets too cold.

Last weekend, Memorial Day, we went camping again (to the same spot we got snowed on coincidentally) but this time it was Gunner's first trip. He's only 4 months old, but I think it was actually easier to camp with him than with a 9 month old- he didn't want down to crawl and could sleep just about anywhere.

One of the best parts of the trip is that my dad bought NJ his first bow.  It's a little compound bow with one suction-cup tipped arrow. I love how he immediately took the one-foot-forward stance (maybe he's been watching the men) and how he had no problem hitting the little antelope with the arrow (at like 2 yards, of course).  It's stuff like this that makes me feel right at home being a mother of boys. (Thank you, Dad!)

Rockin' and Rollin'

On May 17, Gunner rolled over for the first time! Sure he was propped up on his elbows at the time and totally confused by what happened, so it's not likely to happen again soon. But still, I stuck that 'rolls over' sticker on his baby's-first-year-calendar and was a little shocked that he's almost 4 months old. Where did the last 4 months go? I can't believe I'M actually saying this, but I want him to stay little a little longer. He's so sweet and innocent- incapable of malice... and he's almost always smiling! :) I also love how NJ interacts with him. NJ loves to make Gunner laugh (as seen in this video). It's just too cute!

Time for change

Pardon the narcissistic nature of this post, but I'm feeling very bored with my hair these days. I've made an appointment with my favorite stylist and I've warned her that I'm needing something drastic, but what oh what to do....  Those of you who have only known me for a few years probably think my hair's always been long, but not so. I tend to go back and forth as you can see here. But I'm kinda wanting to go shorter than I've ever gone before.... My husband (who, loves long blond hair) has asked that I not get a boy-cut. So, suggestions????

My Little Giant

Gunner's size continues to amaze me. I got on my bathroom scale with him again today and he's 18 pounds now! He's also working on his length, as you can tell from these photos... Here's Gunner today at 3 months old and NJ in his 1-year-old photos- in the same outfit.








And just for fun, here's a set of pics of NJ (top two) and Gunner (bottom two), both at 3 months old!

Daddy Time

This photo just makes me smile!

By the time my husband, B, gets home from work most days, I'm more than a little frazzled trying to get dinner ready while dealing with both the boys. Meanwhile, the boys are bored of mommy and super excited to see daddy. I sometimes think I should try to give B some space to change cloths or something, but I rarely can muster up the energy. Good thing B is always so good to give the boys the attention they want from him. Sometimes that involves kicking a ball around, other times it's walking to the mail box and still other times, it's just sitting down and reading a book.

I LOVE my boys!

Book Reveiws!

I'm so excited! My sister and I are going to be collaborating on a new blog that's all book reviews! For some reason this REALLY appeals to me! We're starting out with BookSneeze on a suggestion from a good friend, (Thank you!) They send copies of books to any ol' bloggers in return for the commitment that you'll write a review. However, I'm hoping that after we have a few reviews posted and several 'followers' we can ask publishers for advanced copies of books to review- how cool would that be????

So, we need a favor! Please, check out the new blog, For The Love of Books, and 'follow' us! You can always un-follow us later if you find you aren't reading it much. This will really help us get our statistics up to a level where the publishers might throw us a bone or two!

Thanks!

Easter

I know, Easter was almost a full month ago, but I thought I'd post a bit about it anyway- better late than never...

My parents drove over for Easter weekend and we tackled the big project of building a fence to seperate the storage part of our back yard from the nice part. I suppose many of you might think it wasn't THAT big of a project, especially since we bought the pre-made fence pannels. However, since it involved a jackhammer to dig the holes (we have a solid layer of clay under our topsoil, I mean topsand), cement to set the posts, and a gate kit without it's instructions, I think it was a HUGE project!

I'm so glad mom and dad were there to help and celebrate Easter. My mom brought NJ some stuff to dye eggs (which I'd already decided I wasn't brave enough to attempt with a two-year-old) and then got him to help peel them. Although, she could not get him to eat them. My only regret for the weekend is that I didn't get a picture of the boys in their matching Easter outfits prior to leaving the house. Within minutes of getting to church Gunner had a full blowout and so, spent most of Easter in the faded romper I keep in the diaper bag for just such emergencies...

So,

NJ is really cracking us up these days. He'll say, 'Mommy, Daddy, I have a story for you." Once we've agreed to listen and he has our full attention, he'll start- and it always starts, "So...." This is followed by some sort of made up adventure, usually involving his animal de jour and a little boy. The stories are often, but not always, suspiciously similar to things we've done the last day or two, but there's always a twist for how he thinks the day should have gone- you know, and extra trip to the park or a sonic lemonade thrown in. NJ also throws in a bunch of *tisk* kinda sounds during his story telling pauses. The only other time he does this is when he's around my mom. It's really very strange and quite cute!

pictures

I suppose that if I'm too lame to write anything, I could at least post a few pictures...

Gunner's such a silly baby- he'll laugh at just about anythingBut then every once in a while he strikes a more serious pose...
(this one makes my laugh!)

I love my boys!

My arms hurt

I'm not sure why... must be this big baby I've been carrying around... at least he seems pretty big- I wonder how much he actually weighs... let's see, I'll step on the scale by myself first- owe, ouch, that's ugly! ok, now step on while holding little Gunner... use a calculator to do the simple subtraction... WOW! 15 pounds at 6 weeks old!

I wonder how much NJ weighed at 6 weeks old... I think it's in my palm pilot... well ok, NJ weighed 14 lb 12 oz at his 4 month check up.

Yep! Gunner is one BIG baby!

I wonder when NJ was wearing this outfit Gunner's got on today... sort through some photos... yep, when he was 4.5 mo old- check it out: NJ's the one in the upper right (on 1/8/08) and the other two are Gunner (today).

"Work"

I'm so torn!

A friend of mine called and said she's ready to buy a house- was I working or taking time off with the baby? I quickly told her I was working part time and would love to help her. But now as I think about it, I'm really torn.

On one hand, I LOVE the idea of getting back to business and working on something mentally challenging right now. I really truly love my real estate business. This sleep-deprived-survival thing is not fun!! Plus, I hate to pass up an opportunity to work with someone who already knows what they want- they don't come around all that often. Also, the money's good and how else can we build up the truck fund?

On the other hand, I'm thinking I may not be ready to take anything else on.I've been chanting "just survive the first 8 weeks" to myself. I can barely compose a rational thought these days,so what's the chance I can do a good job of this, much less enjoy it? More importantly, I'm afraid that getting back to working will make me dislike the time with the kids. Ug, even thinking about all this has got me feeling much less satisfied with my day- does this make any sense??? I think about what I could be accomplishing and suddenly life as a stay at home mom seems sooooo...... menial.

I know there are many of you who will cringe at all this and try to remind me about how important being a mom is. I know all that. That's why I'm still here. But I also know that when NJ was young I really struggled to enjoy my time at home with him. Some might see it as baby blues, but it was really more like an identity crisis. (There's nothing like going from a 'real job' to staying at home to make you question who you are...) I kept trying to balance work and motherhood- it seemed like it should be possible. However, I've never been given to moderation. I know that when mommy duty and a paying job sit side by side, I'll always feel compelled to do the paid work and be annoyed by the mommy stuff.

Yesterday, I laid Gunner down in his crib for a minute while I helped NJ with something. Then when I came back he seemed pretty content just moving all his limbs, so I just stood over his crib and started talking to him. That's when he let out a big smile and a little half chuckle! It's the first time he's really smiled AT me instead of just in front of me. He was happy to see me!!! What joy to see your child respond to your presence that way! These are the moments that are so hard to anticipate but so easy to miss. If I go back to working, even just a little bit, I know I'll be too busy to just stand there and do nothing...

I guess that's why I had to call my friend back and ask if I could refer her to a co-worker. It hurt me to do so, but I'm hoping that I can enjoy the first six months of Gunner's life instead of the dissatisfaction I remember from the first go 'round. Maybe now would be a good time to start chanting that they're only young for a little while... NJ should start preschool this fall.

Big Brother

Tomorrow, my younger son will be two weeks old. It's been a long two weeks for sure, and I'm making it harder on myself by trying to get the taxes sent to the accountant before my mom leaves tomorrow and feeling guilty about not having the baby announcements done yet. But I want to take a few seconds to record a few thoughts before they're lost forever.

Today it occurred to me that the newly crowned Big Brother has started some interesting new things (besides the understandable neediness). First, he's started the "why?" game, but spices it up a bit by throwing in an occasional "what kind?" even if it doesn't always make sense. He's also started beginning many of his sentences with "Well..." and interrupting any adult conversation to ask, "what are you talkin about?" Mostly, he's just talking constantly! It's very cute but a little exhausting too.

The other thing that's struck me is just how big he really is! Every time I see his hands I just can't believe he's soooo big. His hair is so thick (I've always know it was very thin), his legs are so long, he knows so many words, he's so curious. It's all quite wonderful. I only wish I'd relax and enjoy him more instead of fussing at him for taking it too far.

Baby brother is also wonderful and a true blessing, but I really look forward to the day when they're both walking and talking, entertaining themselves with Lego blocks and playing together. I can't wait to take the boys camping and to the park. I want to feel good enough to play soccer with them in the back yard and chase them around through the sprinklers.

Insanity

Now that I'm officially past my due date, I think I've reached a level on insanity that something akin to a manic-depressive with ADD. No matter how hard I try to concentrate on any sort of project that might get my mind off of the 'any minute now' feeling. In addition, it seems that NJ has somehow picked up on my craziness. He's been trying to skip his naps and that makes for VERY long afternoons.

So, on days that he naps well, I try to say, "oh wow, what a great nap you took! You're so well rested that we should go do something fun!" So now, whenever he gets up from his naps he immediately says, "Something fun? Lets go to the big park mommy!"

Well today it's actually raining in Yuma- CRAZY!!! So when he wakes up he tells me it's raining and then asks about the park. So, I start explaining why we can't possibly go to the park in the rain. His response? "I want to feel the drops on me head, mommy!" Being insane as I am, I agree and put him in a coat! What fun he had!!!!

After enough minutes to start him to shivering, I made him come inside. I striped off the wet clothes and put a warm fluffy track suit on him with a matching hat and then we both say down to a cup of Hot Chocolate. If you know how little sugar I let NJ have, you know at this point that I've totally lost it. But hey, I'm the mom, I'm allowed it indulge my son!

It's such an adorable picture moment that I can't resist pulling out my camera again... 'but the bib, it just ruins the shot! let's take that off for just one second..... oh no, you're pouring it all over yourself!!!!! Ack, HOT beverage!!!! Yank him out of the chair, strip the clothes off!!!

Ok, so now you can drink your cocoa in a t-shirt and no pants.... What fun we're having.... you want a spoon? Sure, here you go...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?!? YOU JUST FLIPPED HOT COCOA ALL OVER MOMMY! We're done here. Go wash your hands while mommy stain treats her shirt.

The Look

This is the look- the one that precedes Nolan doing something he knows he probably shouldn't do. Often it's the look he gives me right before he does whatever I've specifically told him not to do. However, fortunately, in this instance, it wasn't misbehavior. Instead it was jumping off a piece of playground equipment that's taller than he is.

Yes, he survived, unscathed. In fact, he immediately jumped up, ran back up the stairs, and jumped again and again.

(Click on photo to enlarge)