hmmm...why are you doing this to me?

What the heck did you just put in my mouth?
ish...that tastes like cardboard!
hmmm...maybe I could swallow a little
I would much rather play with Papa.
How about I eat his nose instead...

So, the first go round of feeding Emmitt oatmeal wasn't the greatest but I'll try again. I really don't like doing the food thing, mainly because it takes a long time to feed him. He's still little. "They" say 4-6 months you can start introducing solids...It's just easier to nurse him, no monkey business.
I kept him on his bottle schedule this weekend and it just about kills me to warm up a bottle for him. I pumped and then he fell asleep so I put it in the fridge until he woke up. 2 hours later he decides he's hungry so I warm up the water in the microwave and stick the bottle in it, have Bear test it..."freezing cold" he says, so I stick it back in the water, go change a diaper...come back and give myself a scald mark on my wrist. Way too hot...so I dump the water and start over with cold tap water, stick the bottle in there, bounce Emmitt, who is now STARVING, until it cools off!
Then the challenge of getting him to actually take the stupid thing...which I hate doing, but Bear was making supper so I did. And he finished it! I should mention he is much better at taking a bottle, he just farts around with it the whole time it is in his mouth. And sometimes he still screams at Stephie.
I made all of Parker's baby food and next weekend is the big event. Bear and I usually get up early on a weekend and start the pureeing factory in our kitchen. We put some music on and drink a pot of coffee together while we mash, freeze and organize all that food. He does it for the savings on money, I do it because I am a control freak and will know exactly what goes into my kid!

the new deck

The perfection of getting the footings level and square. I had no idea that part would take so long. But very happy that the deck is level!
Getting the frame together.
Parker had fun, walking the "tight rope" along the beams. I'm giving him credit for actually being able to do it, I chalk it up to he's short and a low center of gravity. I would try, usually with a few lemonades in my hands and wobble back and forth.
Trying to keep Parker busy with scrap wood and hammer and nails. It lasted about 5 minutes!
I'll help you with the drill Papa.
Almost there. This part went really fast.


Just me playing with my camera...But I do love watching their hands work. It's fascinating to me that (most) guys just have the knack and know how to do stuff like this...
more hands...
Voila! Well of course I had to run out and get new patio furniture. Little did I know I wasn't buying off the floor, but that it all comes in pieces in boxes that my husband got to put together! So this is the first half of the deck. This is what we wanted to accomplish before the annual Fourth of July party. Next is the railing and the lower deck. Railing will be this summer. Lower deck will be next summer. Then we'll close off the underneath part, since Parker has already decided it's cool to play under there.

Double Ear Infection & Tonsillitis

Well you are probably thinking Emmitt right? It's not him…it's Parker! And this is our FIRST ever ear infection with him. He's 2 and a half! Needless to say I was shocked about the ear infections. His tonsils have been enlarged for a couple of weeks but Thursday afternoon I really started realizing something was wrong with him. I picked him up from Stephie's and she actually had to wake him up from his 3 hour nap. Well he of course was super crabby about that. Usually he wakes up happy, but not this time. 3 hours is on the long side for him, but not out of the ordinary. So I get the boys' stuff all packed up and Emmitt (sleeping) into the car seat and in the car and attempt to get Parker buckled in…NO WAY! He started a full blown tantrum. Well of course now Emmitt is awake and screaming. Parker refuses to get in his car seat without sheer force. He is arching his back and kicking me and I finally drag him out of the car and onto the yard for a timeout. Until he is ready to get in his seat and buckle up we are not leaving Stephie's. I should mention that Stephie lives on a very busy main street in town so I am sure loads of people saw me in my glory. Timeout is over, he agrees to get in his car seat (which was a lie) and we start battling all over again. I remind him that we buckle up to "be safe" and so the police don't take mommy away for not buckling up…I am starting to think they may take me away for freaking out at my kid though! Sure enough he finally gets in-it's been 20 minutes-and we drive down the road and what do we see? "a police cop!" says Parker…well that helped me out, I told him "see, the police cop was coming to check to make sure you and Emmitt and mommy were all buckled up"! So we continue on home and go to get out of the car seat and it starts all over again! He wanted to undo the buckle "all by myself"! Touchy, touchy… Emmitt needs to get out of the hot car and is not in the mood to sit outside while I bribe Parker with a popsicle. So I one arm Parker in the house while holding Emmitt (I am sure my neighbors think I am crazy). We get in the house and he is still freaking out! I just have to set an overtired Emmitt down at this point to deal with Parker. Another timeout on the wall this time for kicking me. I finally get him calmed down-it has been an hour and a half of tantrums. Well by this point it basically ended with grandma coming over and convincing Parker that a stroller ride in the fresh air would feel good. He wasn't too sure but got in. We walked our 4 mile loop by adding on to make the walk longer, Emmitt of course slept almost the whole time because he was sooooo tired. Parker was Mr. Chipper! Sang songs, looked around, waved at people. I swear sometimes I think he has a split personality. The walk starts getting long because he starts whining at the end, kicking off his shoes for mommy to pick up behind the stroller, etc…We get home and my mom helps me get the kids into the tub and I just ask her to take a look at Parker's tonsils, they were large the last time I checked and she gasped! Well that says enough…she tells me to take him in. So after the bath I decided that instead of waiting until morning I might as well do urgent care since it's the same price as a clinic visit and I'll get in asap. So it's 7 o'clock and I basically follow my friend, neighbor, and nurse Darci to work and of course she is working Triage so we get to see her. She does a throat culture, which I should say he did not gag at-but that my husband can't hardly think of one without gagging. So after the culture we wait for the doctor, which is maybe 10 minutes-just enough time to read the same alligator book 3 times...the doctor comes in and is wonderful with him…lets him look for monkeys in her ears and throat and then she does his. He's giggling with her and having a blast, looking very sick by the way, right!? So she takes a look in both ears and says, "double" but one is worse than the other. His culture for strep came back negative but the 24 hour one we'll have to wait on. Definitely tonsillitis. Gets him a steroid med and lets him take it orally, (the last time I was in the ER for this-Christmas Eve morning 2006-I got a shot in the ass!) and then 10 days of Amoxicillin. By 8 o'clock we are on our way home, already in our jammies and full of stickers! Parker was so good, but it helps that the doctor was awesome too (they even followed up on Saturday to see how he was feeling!). So basically the whole tantrum is explainable, I sort of feel bad about giving him so many timeouts for being sick but still. It is now Sunday night and he is on the mend. His tonsils are still huge so I am calling the clinic in the morning to see if we can get him in with our family doctor. He woke up crabby a few times this weekend from his naps but nothing like last Thursday. The other option the doctor gave us (Parker and I) was to have our tonsils out. Mine never really get "un"swollen and Parker is showing to have the same traits as I do…a crappy immune system! So we'll see how he responds to the meds. He thinks the best part, other than all the stickers, is the diet of popsicles!

Watch Me Grow Month Four

Happy 1st Father's Day of 2

Dear Daddy~we just wanted to tell you a few of the things we love so much about you.

Parker: "I love your whisker rubs" "when we go swimming" "when you call me sport" "I like when you put me in a trap and I get to kiss your ear to get out" "when you take my nose off" "I love your BIG hugs" "I love to play cars with you".



Emmitt: I love when you give me airplane rides, blow on my belly to make me giggle, I love to snuggle with you, I love jumping up and down on your lap.



From Your Wife/Mommy: I love the man you have become over these last 2 years. For 9 years I had you all to myself but you have grown from a young boy into a man. I love watching you with our boys. From the sweetness you had while I was pregnant and then being the true trooper you are and making it all through the labor and delivery right by my side. You thought you couldn't do it and you actually surprised me! We have said in the past and still to this day "you are my rock". I love how we can talk about anything and how we both work at our marriage and take time for one another. I love that "we" are a priority even when life gets busy. I love how routine our mornings are we always kiss goodbye and say we love each other. If we may start to forget, I love how Parker makes sure we all get big hugs and kisses before leaving for work. I love how we can lean on one another when things like work get hard and how we can pray together and aren't afraid to show our true emotions to each other. I love that you aren't afraid to show affection for me even after seeing me daily for 11 years! Thank you for being who you are and never wavering, but always changing for the better. It is what molds you into you. You are my true love and soulmate and I thank you for being a great father to our sons. You are my rock...

NKOTB Baby!

New Kids on The Block are back...I can hardly contain myself. Thought about going to the concert but we didn't get tickets...I may download their Summertime song onto by iPod for the heck of it...they started the boy band phenomenon they should certainly finish it...can't wait for the whole album.

Audited

Can't wait for July 15th to come and go...that is the day I am being audited at my business...I shouldn't be worried, I have some one do my taxes, I use Quickbooks, I am so anal about being organized it's not even funny, but WHY do I have a little dark cloud in my mind when I think about the word "audit"?

Buzzed

Well since Amy had her babies today I therefore had no Stephie, so I had the day off with the boys. A cold, rainy day off and inside to veg. Which I really needed since my mom and I did the Crop Walk yesterday-which was 8.5K-from Smokey Bear to Ranier. We took turns pushing the sleeping boys in the stroller. So today, I actually took it upon myself to buzz Parker's hair off. He started out enjoying the whole experience and then it tickled and then it turned into torture. He finally let me finish it in the bathtub and then he took a shower to get all the shaved hair off. He keeps rubbing it, saying "feels funny". I knew once I started shaving I should have maybe used the next setting instead of the 1/8" setting but it'll grow. It has been a great day-spending time with the boys together and individually. I actually got some time to myself too-they both took 2 hour naps AT THE SAME TIME!! WaHoo!

WE WON!!!

HA! We actually won the bedtime battle last night.

I put the gate up in the doorway to the boys' room. Parker is concerned about this a little. I tell him, unless he can follow the bedtime rules the gate stays up. I think I am so smart! We go over the rules...books, prayers, hugs, kisses, no screaming...sleep. He nods his head at all of these. So I have Emmitt in our bedroom in the playpen because Parker is loud at bedtime. Parker asks for Emmitt back in his room...again, until you can follow the bedtime rules...no Emmitt. I swear he understands this! So after one hour of battles, singing songs, prayers, books, bathroom, water, etc...he is in his bed laying down. Ha got him now. So, I go to my room to read and check on Emmitt and what do I hear??? The gate bust open! That kid got through the gate! I couldn't believe it...now what do I do, I can't keep him in his room. Crap! He comes screaming/crying into our room, where I bolt to pick him up so he doesn't wake Emmitt up. Back through the routine of him in his bed and he wants daddy. So I get Bear upstairs to help me...He lays with Parker, and the minute he moves to get out of his bed, Parker is crying again! This has now been an hour and a half! It's 9 pm kid, go to bed!! We started at 7:30! We get him back in his bed and calmed down, trying to reason with a 2 year old is not working. I get back in my bed, knowing that Emmitt will be awake soon to eat so why bother sleeping. I hear Parker get through the tightened gate and come down the hallway, I pretend to be sleeping and he crawls up in my bed, steals my pillow, gets under the covers and tries to nuzzle into my armpit. I open my eyes and he smiles at me sooo sweetly...I ask what are you doing in mommy and daddy's bed? He shrugs his shoulders still smiling! I ask where is daddy supposed to sleep? He says, in my bed with Emmitt. Arg! Now what? So I get Bear back upstairs and we put Parker back in his bed kicking and screaming full all out tantrum. We know the gate doesn't work so we shut his door. I should probably mention that I installed the doorknob incorrectly and the door currently has the one knob and not the other, conveniently for us, the one side is the outside, so Parker has nothing to grab onto to open the door and is basically locked in his room. Is that considered illegal? I don't know. So Bear and I watch through the peek hole in the door as Parker throws a tantrum and then...by God, puts himself in his bed, covers up and falls asleep. We are giggling in the hallway at his tantrum and pushing each other out of the way so the other can look through the hole! It is now 9:30 and both kids are sleeping...that is until I wake Emmitt up to feed him one more time. It works, I feed him at 10 pm and he sleeps until 2:30 am, feed him again and he sleeps until 6:30. Which I should mention that Parker slept all night long, in his bed, with the door shut until 7 am! Ahhh, I feel so refreshed.

Brothers

Two Brothers-I know they will grow up loving eachother and fighting with eachother...but that is what being brothers is all about.
Here is how a day in our life goes.
Parker puts his underwear on-both legs in one hole...says "I can't walk"-he does this often to be silly but this time he "walks" through the living room, trips and lands head to head with Emmitt, who is laying on the floor. Parker starts crying, more because of my reaction than his head actually hurting. Emmitt lets out a huge scream and then holds his breath for a good 10 seconds before wailing again. I pick him up to make sure his eyes aren't rolling in the back of his head with a concussion. Parker is now stuck in his underwear and crying about that! And it's only 9 am in the morning! It is always something.

Now Bear and I think they are conspiring against us at night. If one is sleeping the other is awake! Parker has slept through the night since he was 5 months old, but now that he is 2 and a half he is awake. Bedtime/naptime is a battle. I am putting the gate back up in his doorway today! The last 2 nights have gone something like this...
7 pm-both boys are clean, fed, and ready for bed
7:15-Parker is in his bed, we are reading books, saying prayers, giving hugs and kisses
7:45-"night Parker, be quiet, your brother is sleeping"
7:46-Parker says "I need another hug and kiss" so I give in and do it
7:47-Parker says "I have to go potty" Mom says-"fine go, why isn't anything coming out Parker? Do you really have to go" two drops come out and he thinks he actually peed! Sigh from mom
7:52-"okay, back in bed. I love you, night, night"
7:52-"I need another hug and kiss" says Parker, "last one", says mom
7:56-"I need a drink of water" says Parker
7:57-"fine, one drink and then to bed" says mom
8:45 pm-finally I think he is sleeping...I tip toe past the door to actually go downstairs to possibly have an adult conversation with my husband
9pm-mommy's tired and in bed sleeping
11:30-Emmitt's hungry, I feed him quietly
11:47 I put him back in bed, he puts himself right back to sleep. Sometimes I wake up 2 hours later in the chair and we both were sleeping! That really frustrates me, because then he has only nursed one side and is nowhere near full!
11:53-mommy has fallen asleep (hard) and hears "mommy, I want you!". Parker is now awake
12:00 am-Parker is back in his bed-sometimes alone, sometimes Mommy or daddy have to lay with him
3:30 am-Emmitt is hungry again...seriously!
3:48 am-Emmitt is back in bed sleeping
4 am-I am sleeping again...Parker's little pat, pat, pat down the hallway "Mommmmy!"
4:01 am-Parker, Mommy and Daddy are in bed together-just GO TO SLEEP!
4:06 am-Daddy gets 5 kidney kicks and leaves to sleep in the twin Lightning McQueen bed
4:30 am-Parker, Mommy, Daddy and Emmitt are all sleeping
6 am-is that MY alarm already?



They look so sweet...but I truly know the 2 year old is testing his limits and is getting away with it. I have now set up a series to record Supernanny, maybe she can help me!

Toe waxing?

whose idea was it? when we started shaving our legs-whose idea was it to shave our toes and tops of feet? Well you know what happens when you shave your toes? The hair always grows back! So we have to continue shaving our toes...well it's summer and I don't want hairy toes, so I had my wax lady-wax them off yesterday! She said it would hurt, but it didn't, not really, and now I'll see how long it takes to grow back. Maybe if I keep waxing them it'll never come back!

Peace...

Peace! The school does a tie-dye project every year and this was a baby gift. Super cute

So happy it is finally nice enough to wear shorts and muscle shirts...Look at what 2 year olds do to your windows-I don't even bother cleaning them anymore.

"Mini Me"

Smilin' away-happy baby-most of the time