Early Mornings, Coffee, School Buses, Vintage Hats, Did I Mention Coffee?

I'm trying to get back into an early-to-rise routine around here, so I guess that means revisiting my blog as well.

Starting to blog again after such a long hiatus feels awkward and forced. Umm... hi?

Currently...
Reading: Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving. His writing is so fabulous. Why are his characters always so loveable?
Drinking: Coffee. Coffee. More coffee. I told you I'm trying to get back into my routine of early mornings. Plus, I don't really drink alcohol so coffee seems like a just fine vice to me.
Eating: Oh Lordy, the eating around here. Yesterday afternoon I wondered why my stomach hurt until I remembered I had Target popcorn, two Diet Cokes, and a pack of Rolos for lunch. At the end of the day I congratulated myself on such a good day of eating... and then I remembered lunch. *oops*

C started real school this week and is thriving. She has left and come home in a great mood everyday. She is clearly tired but so wired from all of the excitement that thus far all has been well. There is nothing cuter in this world than seeing her bound onto the school bus and wave from the front seat. Nils snuggles in my arms and we wave back and blow kisses. Oh my goodness. C can barely see out the window and we just see her eyes and arm waving. You can't imagine how adorable the whole scene is. And, oh my gosh, don't get me started on how amazing the school bus is. A bus comes and picks my kid up and brings her to school and then takes her home? For free? And I don't have to be ready to leave and stuff Nils into a carseat twice a day?! AAAMAZING. Also, we lucked out and live across the street from the bus stop. We can see/hear the bus coming from our house. Oh yeah!

Nils and I are having fun having some rarely-before-seen time alone together. Yesterday after our fancy Target lunch I asked him if he was ready to go home and he replied, "No! Goodwill!" Atta boy. We're going to get along juuussst fine. I found a fabulous vintage hat at Goodwill and Nils bought it for me. THIS hat - but in RED! It was a total of 86 cents. A fabulous red vintage hat? Sounds perfect for Pentecost! Vintage hats are my weakness.

While Nils and I are thrilled to be together and are having some adventures of our own, we definitely both miss Carolena. Nils will frequently call me "Lena" or "best friend" when he's talking (they call each other "best friend") and then get a surprised embarrassed look on his face and correct himself to "Mommy." Poor guy.

I really miss C too. I love having some special time to be with Nils but it has been harder than I expected to see so little of Carolena lately. I really and truly like being with her and miss her. She gets home from school at 4 and goes to bed at 7 so time with her is at a premium. I'm trying to have time with her, let Nils have some time alone with her to play, and we have dinner and bedtime routines. So far C has wanted to pile in my bed with books everyday when she gets home from school. Sounds great to me!

I really slacked off on waking up early this summer. I am planning to get back into my early morning groove now that school is in session, but I'm honestly having a hard time remembering how much I loved it. Here's hoping.

Friday Morning Ramblings

It will come as a surprise to no one that I've been cleaning out our house. As per the usual. Where does all of this stuff come from?!

The good news is that I want to only have interesting things (as opposed to boring old Target crap) so when I arrived home with a stack of beautiful hand-sewn linens from my grandmother I put the old Target set I never use (because I've never liked it much) straight into my Goodwill pile.

The kids and I spent the afternoon yesterday cleaning out Carolena's room (again). That kid. Geeze, Louise. Suffice to say her bookshelf is now in her closet (she's been begging me to move it there) so that she can snuggle up next to it in a pile of big stuffed animals. She calls it her reading nook. I think if it lasts she'll need a light in there to actually read by, but I'm hoping to make her a much better reading nook in the future. We also made all of the stuffed animals go on the other side of the closet. The plan she and I came up with is that the two messiest things (books and stuffed animals) can just be shoved in there and the doors closed. Here's hoping.

We also went through her costumes and *gasp* she picked out a bunch for her younger cousin. What?! So, watch out Hols - we've got some fun coming your way. Glitz and tulle. It's right up your alley. Kelly should go through it first and tuck some fancy leotards away for Christmas gifts.

On the Nils' homefront he and I have been talking about diapers and underwear and all that jazz. It dawned on me that when Nils is out of diapers I'll be... done done done! Done with diapers. So, yeah. He doesn't seem ready yet but I remembered that there are things he'll need to work on now like pulling up and down his own pants. All this is to say, now I keep finding a naked little guy in the house who says to me, "Me need new diaper." Hm. A step in the right direction nonetheless?

Yesterday I kept thinking about how strange it is that my grandmother and her family lived during the Great Depression and had next to nothing. Her mother filled a rocking chair with worn out clothes. Here I am with a constant box going of things to get rid of because "too much stuff!" cluttering our house is the bane of my existence.

Laura Ingalls had a corn husk that she played with as a baby doll. We purge toys before birthdays and Christmas knowing that more are going to come into our home. I can't get over the weirdness (and wrongness?) of that.

Some best friends are coming to visit this morning. We see them about twice a year so the occasion called for a loaf of brioche. I need to pull the dough from the fridge and let it rest so I can bake it. What's better than brioche?! Well, caramel rolls made from brioche but as I didn't go to boot camp this morning I think its probably best I not add more butter to brioche.

Our next door neighbors moved yesterday and in the next few weeks we're watching for "a family of three with a kid around Nils' age" to move in. We're pretty anxious and excited to see what they're like. Carolena (on her own accord) told me she thinks when they move in we should bring them "something like a cake or muffins or something like that." I agree.

Futureman, call me every five minutes. You know who you are.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot!

Man, we are good at summer around here. Other states might be good at winter with all of their snow and fires crackling in the fireplaces and whatnot, but man, when it comes to summer: we win.

The kids and I wore ourselves out at the pool yesterday. We spent the morning getting lunch packed and suits on and getting out the door. C went to swim lessons (and had a blast) and I was "that mom" who pretended to be sixteen and took off my coverup and lounged in the sunshine reading my book. It was glorious. Other moms sweltered in the heat and humidity chasing their kids and trying to find shade and all that jazz. I decided to embrace it and it was pretty heavenly. A book, a bathing suit, a ton of sun screen, a drink. I got half an hour all to myself to just lounge by the pool. Hmmm... maybe C needs more swim lessons...

After lessons we picked up N and headed back out to the pool. One of my bff's (Megan) and her kiddos met us there and we picnicked and played for hours. Hours!

When we got home Nils walked straight into his room, closed his door, and went to sleep (that guy) while C and I snuggled into my bed to chat and giggle. An hour later I woke up to find C and I had dozed off as well. Heaven.

We ate popsicles for snack. Homemade chicken nuggets for dinner while we watched The Parent Trap (Lindsey Lohan version - love it). Then we had to all spend time pretending a lizard had climbed in our mouths (Nils' idea). Bedtime and books.

Today, let's do it again. And we need to go to the grocery store... because tomorrow we're going to visit our friends who (wait for it...) run summer camp! Woo!

Yeah, we know how to do summer.

Summery Summary

I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that there is nothing in this world cuter than a happy little Nils wet from a pool, wearing a puppy hooded towel, and eating a zebra cake.

Nothing. Nadda.

You'll have to take my word for it because our pool doesn't allow people to take photos.

We've been spending our mornings at the pool as C is in the midst of swim lessons. It's been a joy this year. It took three years of misery, but finally this year has been great. Evidently 1015 is a perfect start time for us. We can have a leisurely morning and get there with enough time to check a protesting Nils into the kid's club. C swims. I chat with other moms or lounge around reading. Then we pick Nils back up, change him into his suit, and head back out to the pool for some more fun. A picnic lunch in the shade and we're ready to head home for naps.

Like how easy that all just sounds? I left out the part where dropping off Nils takes a lifetime because we have to crowbar him off of my leg. And the part where it takes an eternity to get everyone and all of our stuff into the car and then out of the car and then into the car and so on. And changing diapers in the midst of everything. And sunscreen. And stopping for various things like reading signs and checking out bugs and getting stamps from the front door at the pool. Oh, and neither kid can swim. It's a circus. A wonderful crazy circus. Swim lessons are thirty minutes long. Getting ready, getting there, swim lessons, a short swim, lunch... it takes our whole day.

*

Carolena wanted to introduce two of her girlfriends (one of whom has two sisters) so we hosted a luau this weekend. It was a genius idea as the parents totally would be friends as well (duh, why didn't I think to introduce them?). As per the usual party planning was put into motion and C and I enjoyed making decorations and hitting up the dollar store.

We had a house full of little girls and they all had a blast... that is... until 830 when they all simultaneously started melting down and we realized the party was over.

*

Luau decorations are staying up as they just scream summertime. Plus, they will fit right in with where were going with Carolena's birthday theme. C is getting giddy as we made invitations yesterday. I won't ruin the surprise, but excitement around here is at an all-time high.

Beer Boxes, Gorgeous Models, and Jake the Pirate

Conversation overheard yesterday:
Carolena examines a full case of beer on our kitchen table and exclaims, "Whaatt?! Nils, this rocket ship space helmet is full of coke bottles!" to which Nils stares in disbelief and replies, "whaaattt?!"

Does that mean our children have never seen a full beer box before?

huh?
wwwhhhhaaattt??


****

In other news... remember how Carolena has spent her entire life referring to me as
such glamorous people as Ursula and Miss Hannigan? As in... pretty much since as soon as she could talk. Her roles for me are pretty consistent and when she calls out, "Mommy! There's you!" I know not to get my hopes up. I am fully aware of how she sees me.

This morning Nils and I were sitting at the kitchen table together reading a magazine while I drank coffee and he had breakfast. We were discussing things like the Golden Gate Bridge and Colorado (both places that he wants to go) and I flipped a page. Nils cried out "That YOU!" and pointed to this photo:

Oh Nils, sweet Nils. What do you want? A pony? I will get you a pony. A real firetruck? Yours. A trip to the Golden Gate Bridge? Colorado? The moon? All yours. I have spent the last years with a small child yelling "that you!" at the most hideous of photos. Nils, you have no idea how much this means to me. Name what you want. It's yours my Nils.

Hey, guess what else! When we went to Joanns last week Carolena actually requested that I sew her a dress and picked out the fabric. This was amazing in that she has never been very keen on any dress I have made for her. She has always been very appreciative and very gracious but then calmly not worn the dresses. So, when we walked around Joanns and she carefully selected Jake and the Neverland Pirates fabric and pink flamingos I was totally on board.

We came home and looked at my patterns and she chose a cute one with little cap sleeves, we talked through what the finished product might look like, and I got to work. This dress was Carolena's design and I was merely the (semi-skilled) laborer. I am sure that she will refer to it as her "Jake dress" and in my mind I will continue to call it what I dubbed it during construction "Murphy's dress" as in "anything that can go wrong..."

After more than my fair share of seam ripping, and a total overhaul of the back of the dress when it didn't fit, and more ripping when I accidentally sewed the pocket to part of the back of the dress (silent cussing ensued at that point)... I finally arrived at this:

That is pre-last ironing because, well, because that's when I took the photos. As you can see, the solution to "ah! the top is too tight!" was to reconstruct the back to be an open back with a ribbon tie on top. I actually prefer this new back to the original pattern. It seems much more summer-y to go with the style of the flamingo/Jake/summertime dress. Carolena and I make a really good team. As we looked at the almost-finished product and did a little brainstorming we together arrived at the idea of cutting out some small Captain Hooks and Jakes from the left over fabric and made small pillow-like guys to put in the pocket. C did all of the stuffing while I did the stitching and now the dress is complete with two of each so that C and N can play with them in church. Yes, really, that's the plan.

I love this dress. It is sooo Carolena. A little funky. A little girly. Very happy and colorful. Something trendy (Jake) but the trendy thing isn't girly. Oh, it's just so C. A big blue jean pocket from an old pair of jeans (I've had that in my sewing box for like 15+ years). Rickrack, piping, flamingos, pirates, mismatched sleeves. Here's hoping she actually wears this one!

Scenes of Summer

It feels like it's been summer around here for quite some time. Is it not the middle of July? Huh... weird. I could have sworn it was. I'm thrilled that it isn't as we are having a great time. Going to Disney World and then the beach twice really threw us into summer mode around here, and things are going swimmingly. It seems everywhere I turn there are things that make me smile. Sure, the house is a mess (which I'm swimming upstream trying to clean it), but at least the mess is largely due to people having fun and using their creativity. We've watched little to no tv as we have all been have been too busy reading and playing and painting and creating and imagining. Ah, bliss.

I love when the tv is off. I'm convinced my children are far better behaved when they are getting out energy and creativity rather than zoning out in front of a screen. So, behavior around here has been pretty great lately too.

I can't remember the last time we ate dinner in the kitchen. Why would we when we can eat outside on our deck? A tablecloth, a "summer time" meal, dessert most nights, and candles that get promptly blown out by the wind, yes, we love eating on the deck. The lizards scamper around and we dream about what our deck dweller rabbit might be up to. And then we walk back inside carrying all of our plates and utensils, toss them into the sink, and clean up is nearly finished!



Bathing suits have been constantly drying in showers and laundry room. Watermelon is staining our clothing. A pile of "to be tie-dyed" has started in the kitchen.

Summer is in full swing around here and it's pretty darn swell.

Fun Things

One of the fun things about seldom checking my email means when I do in fact check it I find interesting things like urgent reminders to renew my cars inspection tag (or whatever it is) right now!!! and to get my (unfortunately still over goal) rear end back into Weight Watchers before my online access expires and they start charging me again! Oh the horror! Why aren't the urgent emails waiting in my inbox things like Free latte right now!!? If THAT were the case I'd probably be better about paying attention to my email.

Chris rolls his eyes at me in open annoyance that I never know what's going on at church. "It was IN the EMAIL!" he says in exasperation. Yep. I'm sure that it was. But, as I like to remind him, I am taking the clergy family perks where they come. If I have to put up with him working smack dab in the middle of long weekends then I think it is my prerogative to ignore the email and instead roll over in bed and say, "hey, is there Sunday school tomorrow?" unless of course I'm teaching it...

We went to the beach again this weekend. It's the start to a great summer when we spend the first three days of it at the beach. I found three shark teeth, we saw a bazillion dolphin jumping out of the water, and we fed the seagulls from the ferry. We went to the strand and had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf aka the restaurant where Chris and I went on our first date. We had ice cream at La King's. I told the kids they could each have five dollars to pick out something on the Strand. C looked at necklaces and mermaids and all kinds of things and then settled on a squeaking rubber shark toy. Nils followed suit. Other highlights of the trip include (but are not limited to): Nils' constant quoting of the Country Bears "As soon as I find a ladder I'll be riiight up! mmm hmmm!," ukulele playing, C staying up late to play Ticket to Ride, and this gem...
As C and I went into separate stalls in a somewhat crowded bathroom at the Fisherman's Wharf she called out to me in a loud voice, "wow! I am SO going to clog this toilet!" What?! Of course the entire bathroom starting cracking up. I replied "TMI!" which got more laughter. Geeze.

Bees Will Buzz, Kids Will Blow Dandelion Fuzz

Yesterday was Carolena's first day of preschool.

September 2013

Oh. Wait. That can't be right.

Yesterday was Nils' first day.

September 2015

September 2015

September 2015

Errr... wasn't that yesterday?

Wait. Today was the last day.
Wow... so just like that C is done with preschool. What a gal. Those kids are so awesome. I'm so happy that they are growing and thriving and moving onward and upward.

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

First Day in the Fish Class, Last Day in the Fish Class

First Day Panda Class, First Day Puppy, First Day Ladybug, Last Day of Preschool

SUMMMERRR!

Egg-cellent

Yesterday I held an egg in my hand that was still warm from the chicken. That sounds kind of gross, but it wasn't. It was amazing and miraculous.

A couple who owns a farm (well, we call it a farm - it's not, it's a pecan orchard) invited us over yesterday so that Carolena could ride one of their horses. It was awesome. Carolena had a blast riding Duke and afterward politely asked if she could go again another day. We had fun with Duke, and Nils discovered that horses do not in fact say "neigh" but rather make a big huffing noise which he now duplicates if asked what a horse says. Adorable is an understatement.

We went to the chicken coop to check for eggs and found that in addition to the three eggs Carolena carefully tucked into her shirt to carry, there was a hen in the coop in the process of laying an egg! As Nils would say, "Whaaattt?!" The hen was in the coop making soft cooing kind of noises - but not in a way that made one think she was comfortable. In fact, quite the opposite. C gathered the eggs from the other boxes, and we all went back out of the coop. A minute or so later that hen came strutting out squawking and singing loudly. She was clearly very very proud of herself. So we commended her good work and went back into the coop - and that's when I got to hold the freshest egg ever. I was amazed.

We came home with fresh broccoli and tomatoes and a day that C and N will continue to talk about for the days to come.

Rainy Days and Sleep Deprivation

Oh you know, just drinking coffee and watching youtube videos on how to braid. Normal stuff going on around here.

Yes, I know how to braid. No, I don't know how to do fancy crazy Elsa fish tail wombat divine braids for my daughter whose hair hasn't been cut in a year (at her insistence. somethings aren't worth fighting). If it were up to her she would have her hair scraggly and unbrushed and "just down!" all of the time. Up to me? Fancy and well kept. I don't have long hair - I have to have fun with hers.

The kids just ran through the room screaming "Go Injas!" (aka ninjas). C is wearing a coonskin cap and Nils is carrying a stuffed animal beaver we named Tobias.

Last night I went to check on kids and dole out some kisses before heading off to bed. Carolena was snug in her bed sound asleep. When I went into Nils' room he was... nowhere to be found. This has happened before. I creep in quietly and walk up to his pillow expecting to kiss a sleeping little angel... only to find the bed completely empty. It is terrifying. Luckily, last night I stayed relatively calm as I searched the room for Nils. Not finding him, I went back to look around his bed again. That's when my foot stumbled upon a soft little head snoozing UNDER the bed. I carefully got him back into his bed and then had to crawl under it to find all of his lovies that he'd brought with him.

Later both kids got into our bed at separate times during the night. Chris ended up sleeping on the floor of Nils' room just to score some sleep for the rest of the house. My elders who tell me to "keep them young forever!" when they see us in the grocery store don't remember how little sleep parents actually get.

I Don't Make Monkeys, I Just Train Em!

I found something great in a big basket full of junk on our countertop. You know the basket, one of those "we'll deal with this later" kind of spots. Yesterday I was looking for something and found a piece of pink construction paper with this conversation sprawled across it in Sharpie:

Carolena (who was wearing a sparkly pink hat): "This is a singing hat AND a dancing hat. You can wear it when you dance and toss it off when you see someone handsome."
Me: "What does that mean?"
C: "A boy."
Me: "What makes him handsome?"
C: "Wearing a nice shirt... a jacket... handsome pants... you know, handsome."

It's 6:15 am and Nils is being introduced to Pee-Wee's Playhouse (thank you, Netflix!). Nils got up at 5 and soon thereafter told me he wants to go hang out with one of his teachers today. Uh, sorry kid. You're stuck with me again.

Speaking of being stuck with me, yesterday (I am ashamed to admit) I laughed at Carolena. I feel really bad about it... but... you can be the judge (don't tell me your verdict of my level of guilt). I was getting ready in the master bathroom and C&N were hanging out in my bedroom. I heard C say to N, "I'm drinking hot chocolate!" in a bragging voice. I thought perhaps Chris was making that in the kitchen and hoped he was making enough for both kids. Seconds later C came screaming into the bathroom with her tongue hanging out. She kept screaming (she's very dramatic) and pawing at her tongue. I gave her a cup of water and had her rinse and spit it out. She kept pawing and screaming. She finally told me what happened, "I was pretending to drink hot chocolate out of this cup... and when I took a pretend sip... it was full of cat hair!" And then I lost it laughing. oops.

Terrible mom moment: guilty as charged.

Cabin Fever

Given the number of days I've spent at home the last few weeks I have nothing of interest to blog about... as you already know.

C has had a fever that's been coming and going and then coming and then going so we've stayed home a ridiculous number of days since spring break. After a long morning of running tests yesterday the doctor's best guess is an otherwise asymptomatic sinus infection. So, here's hoping the new meds do the trick!

But that means were home today. Again.

The kids are watching Brave. I'm doing laundry and washing dishes and contemplating the fact that I should really clean our master bedroom.

It's a beautiful day outside. Maybe we'll head out to the backyard.

In a few months I will feel bad for Chris when the kids and I are at the splash pad with Sonic drinks and he is at work. When that time comes I hope he remembers this spring when I was stuck indoors for days on end with cabin fever and he was the one feeling bad for me. When that time comes, Chris, I'll bring you a Sonic drink and a free smile.

Sunday

Don't ask me how much coffee I've had this morning and I won't ask you how much you've had.
Hint: it's at least less than Voltaire.

I'm right in the middle of GWTW. Which of course means don't talk to me or expect me to do anything other than read. Holy mackerel that book is fabulous.

I'm thinking about ordering my bookshelves by putting the books that I reread all of the time together, books that I love but don't tend to reread together, and books that I haven't read yet together. That could be interesting and save time when searching for the next book to read.

I finally got control of myself and have lost a few of the pounds I needed to shed before ww weigh in. I'm not back to goal yet but hopefully will be before the end of April. How does one get control if they are Casey you ask? I filled the fridge and fruit bowl with fruit that I really like. I wrote "not for Casey" across the top of the peanut butter jar (my weakness), and hard boiled 50,000 eggs. And filled the freezer with edamame. That's about it. Voila, lost weight. I'm eating more than fruit, edamame, and eggs, but those are just good go-to things for me when I'm feeling snacky. Oh, and greek yogurt. Now I just need to maintain this control.

Disney countdown is in full swing and I'm busy squirreling away entertainment for the two day drive. I'm really looking forward to the car trip. Our last car trip was a blast. We're not a techy family and didn't watch movies on the drive or bring ipads or whatnot. I'm stocking up on conversation ideas, books, and car friendly games. I plan on getting a good audio book or two from the library as well. I can't wait!!

Oh Swell

Every once in a while I look around and see that I am the source of the problem. Everyone's new cubbies look like a mess?! Oh wait... it's just that mine has exploded with stuff. Our dresser is constantly covered in crap?! Oh... my bad. Tripping over shoes in the living room? Hmm... anyone else around here wear size 9 blue suede loafers? Rats. Me again.

Last night Chris came home to chaos. Total chaos. And this time it definitely wasn't me.

Had Chris come home to bathed and pajamed little angels it would have been because I'd lost my shit and forced the kids to take a bath while I drank a mint julep and read my book. Had Chris come home to a fresh mint julep it would have been because I was drinking one and pretended like I made it for him when he opened the door. Had Chris come home to a calm quiet dinner for two it would have been because the aforementioned children had peanut butter sandwiches while contained in the bathtub.

But he didn't.

He came home to people who were hungry and tired and melting down. He came home to a wife who was drinking water and trying to finish dinner so that we could enjoy a nice peaceful meal. He came home to kids who threw tantrums at the table (one of whom literally threw his veggies in protest).

I would have made a great 1950s housewife.

maundy thursday in our house

rainy day
one kid sick
three cups of coffee consumed
more under consideration
countless projects to work on
hubby working late
not complaining
peace and potential

The Snake Came Back the Very Next Day... He Just Wouldn't Stay Away...

A friend sent me this (hilarity credit to Joann Doyle) and it just about sums up yesterday:

Yep. Pretty much.

I creeped out of my bed and watched the floor carefully as I got ready for bootcamp. Thankful to have not encountered Monsieur Snakey, I came home with two huge frappuccinos (one for me, one as a surprise for Chris). Thanks, DOK for the giftcard! As Nils says, "Party! Party!"

After caffinating up we got busy around here. Chris ran errands and worked on our sprinklers while Carolena, Nils, and I set to work cleaning and reorganizing Carolena's room. C sat down for the task of collecting all of the shoes from the floor of her closet and putting them in a basket. You know... her closet... the space that backs up to the wall that the snake crawled into.

I should have seen it coming.

Suddenly she was screaming and crying and flew out of her closet. "SNAAKKKKEE!!!"
I started yelling, "Go get Daddy! Go get Daddy!" over and over and C ran out of the room to get Chris.

Nils sat beside me looking at me quizzically. I kept my eyes on that snake.

Chris came back with a bucket and captured el snakeytan. Then the real crying began when he showed the kids.

I spent the next portion of the day scraping children off of my legs as they clung to me crying and pleading to keep the snake. Really?!

C and N followed me around crying, sobbing, begging, pleading. N kept saying, "Snaakkee!! Love him! Cute!" 

Seriously? 

Two kids who love snakes. This is what I get for being a Slytherin. 

I'm okay with snakes in the zoo. Fascinated by them in fact. I'm okay with petting a snake. I was once okay with holding them. I like the idea of them "out there" in the world doing their thing. I don't want to come across one in my house. Ever. Ever ever. Ever. 

{Shuddddder}

No, of course we didn't kill him.

Chris was instructed to get in the car and drive that little critter away from our house. He wanted to put him in the backyard but it knows the entry route to our house and thus had to be relocated.

The kids and I went back to working in Carolena's room where she told the story of finding the snake. She said she was picking up shoes and touched the snake and it shocked her to find it in her closet. Uhhh. Yeah. That could come out in therapy as an adult. For sure. Except she loves snakes (always has) so it will probably be a story about how awesome it was and how her mother wouldn't let her keep it.

Carolena's 2nd birthday looking at snakes at the pet store.

After cleaning her room... wait for it... we took out one of her beds! What?!
C has had two twin beds in her room because we have a three bedroom house and wanted room for people to spend the night. We decided though that day to day life trumps that and took out the extra bed (wish we would have thought about that a few months ago when we bought a mattress and boxspring for Nils. Argh).

She now has a better space all to herself. We moved in my childhood desk and her doll house. It is fabulous. She is insanely excited and got her desk adorably organized with arts and crafts and spent the rest of the day in there working.

At some point in the afternoon both kids packed their bags for the beach and put them by the front door. Nils was devastated to learn that we weren't leaving at that very second and spent time angry about that. He spent a sad amount of time holding his suitcase and trying to open the front door, all the while crying and whimpering "Moom's house." You're welcome for that mental image, Mom.

After all of the snake brew ha ha and bedroom transforming and kids crying I was in party mode last night. It was cool enough outside to don my Mexican poncho hoodie. Chris tells me I look like a 90s stoner in it which I take as a compliment so I spent the rest of the night with Pearl Jam songs in my head. My waistline was thankful to receive the calories of three beers and fifty million toasted marshmallows. It's only March 12... what's happening to my resolve?! Chris cooked burgers while Nils and I snuggled on the deck and listened to Jimmy Buffet and enjoyed the perfect springtime weather.

My children cried because we didn't keep the snake we found in our house. This is why I drink so much damn coffee people. I'm not sure exactly what the correlation there is. But, there it is.

Let's Go to the Movies. Let's Go See the Show

For the last month or two we've thought that Nils was ready to tackle sitting still for a movie in the theater. He watches entire movies at home. Why wouldn't he sit still in the theater happily munching popcorn, sipping lemonade, and enjoying Zootopia big screen?

Yeah. Right.

I'm pretty sure it was only two minutes into the movie that he stood up and declared, "No more tv" and attempted to walk away. He ate about two kernals of popcorn (which was to be both dinner and a bribe to stay seated). Luckily the theater was empty with the exception of some other small-child-type families. Nils and Daddy spent the middle portion of the movie wandering AMC.

I felt a smidgen of guilt that I was the one to stay with C, who is a born-movie goer, but then I remembered that I had just taken both children to the bathroom in the middle of the movie and the last movie I saw was Rio 2. We saw Rio 2 on the summer dollar day TWO years ago. C sat happily snacking and watching the movie. Nils slept in his carseat as he was months old. I kept waking up with a start to find I had once again dozed off during the worst movie ever. So yeah, I didn't feel that guilty about Chris being the one to chase the monkey Monsieur Nils around the theater.

Things we learned at the movie theater last night:
Nils is in fact not ready for the movies.
Casey does not get out enough if a "put your cell phone away" pre-movie commercial makes her laugh out loud for several minutes. 

Back!

On Monday I really needed to go grocery shopping and decided to put it off until Tuesday.

On Tuesday I really really needed to go to the grocery store and thought, "Nah. Let's just take it easy today." The kids and I stayed home and played and cleaned up the house and read. I made a big batch of black beans and rice. We had plans to go to the rodeo on Wednesday night so there was really no point in going to the grocery store until Wednesday or Thursday... right?

On Wednesday the stomach flu came to visit our home.

On Thursday we were still homebound. On Thursday night the stomach bug took up residence in my digestive system. Carolena threw up once and was over it. That kid must have an immune system of steel. Everyone else will be puking their brains out and she's like, "I think I'll take a nap."

On Friday I slept the entire day and through the night. I think I slept nearly twenty-four hours. Chris was impressed. On Friday I had one coke. One. Coke. I was excited that my caffeine cycle was broken in the wheel of fortune of stomach bugs.

On Saturday we finally all arose alive and well. I drank two cups of coffee (why? why did I do that?!). C and I went to Kroger and our fridge is now full! Hooray! We hit up the arts festival nearby and went to the park. We discovered Nils' hidden talent of dancing and squawking like a chicken.

It's Sunday and we are back into our routine. Three or four or ten cups of coffee? Who's counting? Oh... my neurologist... crap.

Yes! We're back.

Barf-O-Rama

Nothing kills rodeo day faster than a toddler in a pearl snap shirt barfing in the living room.

*sigh*

The day began with such excitement. I jumped out of bed before my alarm rang and bounded out to pump. I lifted a ton of weight (some personal bests) and came home to a sleeping family (well, two out of three ain't bad). We put on some country music (a rarity around here) and had a cowboy breakfast (flapjacks). Carolena giddily donned her rodeo dress and boots while I got Nils into his pearl snap shirt. Rodeo day at school! Chris had plans to come home early so that we could rodeo it up this evening. Carnival rides! Baby animals being born! Rodeo food! Suffice to say, we were pumped.

And then the puking incident occurred.

They say dress for the job you want, not the job you have. I'm a stay home mom. The job I want is the job I have. So I dress for the job I have... which means I changed out of my cute skinny jeans and funky jewelry and into an "I might get barfed on at any minute" outfit.

Sweet Nils is now snuggled on a "couch bed" which always gives me major childhood flashbacks to my own mom putting bed sheets on the couch and tucking me in next to a tray of saltines.

Rodeo, I guess we'll see you next week!

Home, Home on the Range

Last night we lit a fire in the chiminea and all snuggled up outside to enjoy the fire. I started singing and Nils' face lit up and he immediately ran inside to grab our Family Car Songbook. We ended up singing "Home on the Range" over and over and over as C just learned that one at school.

Home, home on the range

Sitting on our deck. Fire popping and glowing. Children snuggled in our laps with their lovies. 

Where the deer and the antelope play

Chris and I tucked in those munchkins (to the tune of more Home on the Range) and then went back to the chiminea. I dozed off in my chair and awoke to Chris telling me it was time to go inside.

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word.

Home.