Thursday, March 31, 2011

Found time

I know I said I wasn't going to post, but I needed a break.  I have been packing and moving little stuff to the new house since Sunday.  I think I have moved about 8 car loads.  However, if you look around my house you would have no idea.  My house is still a disaster.  We have stuff everywhere.  I am trying to throw stuff away that I know we will not use or hasn't been used in a long time, but I am not making much progress.

The movers are coming on Monday, but I really wanted to get lots of little stuff out of our house and organized in the new house.  Every box I take over, I am trying to unload and put away, so I am not completely overwhelmed once we move in.

I am feeling stressed about all of our crap.  What is scary is that I know it is going to get worse because not only will Dave and I continue to accumulate stuff, but now the boys are starting to as well.  This is never going to end.

I am just trying to stay positive and thinking about how wonderful it will be to move into our new house and have everything fresh and so clean clean.  So excited.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Blogging on hold

I am not going to be doing any blogging for the next couple of weeks.  I am trying to move smaller items into our new house all week.  I just packed a car full now, but I am waiting for Joseph to wake up so I can take it over.  Movers come on Monday to move the entire house.   I am going to be busy organizing and cleaning and putting things together at the new place.  Plus I am not sure when we are going to get our Internet hooked up in the new house.  So much to schedule.

I am hoping to get things all cleared out in our current house by next Wednesday, then we are going to have cleaners come to do the house and the carpets and titles.  Then we are hoping to put the house on the market soon thereafter.

The next few weeks are going to be madness.  I am getting anxious and freaking out about getting everything done.  I now it will happen, but when I look at how cluttered our house is, the idea of moving and reorganizing it all is very overwhelming.  I have no idea how we have accumulated so much stuff.  It is crazy.

I am off to pack and Joseph is finally up, so I am going to move the first car load of the day.

Friday, March 25, 2011

What a day!

I started off the day feeling like a complete idiot.  One of our babysitters texted me last night about babysitting on Saturday.  I had asked her many weeks ago about babysitting on the 26th.  She wanted to confirm that she was babysitting on Saturday.  So I looked at the calendar and I thought for sure this Saturday was March 19th.  I told her that we could use her both this Saturday and next Saturday, thinking it was the 19th and the 26th.  She texted me again last night and said that she couldn't babysit on April 2nd.  I was confused and told her that we didn't need her on the 2nd.  Then we proceeded to text back and forth about dates for babysitting and finally I said that she must be a week off because this Saturday is the 19th not the 26th.  Then I looked closer at the calendar and realized I was the one who was completely fucked up.  I am telling you, I don't know what is happening to my brain.  I am totally loosing it.  I have a few reason why I think I am screwed up, but really that list could go on and on.  

So anyway, I felt like a complete idiot and it was only 6:30am.  How stupid!

After my ridiculous date mix up, then Samuel and I decided we needed some Zen time, so we did watercolors.  He was making paintings for everyone. 

We have been just hanging out all day because the weather is completely disgusting out.  It snowed in the middle of the night.  I can't believe that the beginning of the week was almost 80 and then it is snowing by Friday.  

In about 30 minutes we are going to be closing on our house.  Finally!!!  I am so ready to move in and get out of this house.  We got a babysitter on Sunday and we are moving some boxes and putting up organizational shelving in the basement.  My goal is to be as organized as possible in the new house.  I don't want things piled all over the place with no order.  I am so ready to move in.  It is so exciting.  

Here are a few pictures from Tuesday and today.  


Samuel looks a little crazy in this picture but I just love Joseph's face

Of course, now Samuel looks so cute and Joseph is freaking about because Samuel is squeezing him too hard.

Very busy this morning painting pictures

He was quite serious about his painting.

This picture just makes me laugh.  He was right in the middle of telling me what he was making when I snapped this picture.  So funny.

Joseph is just happy!

Love this picture too.

This picture just cracks me up because I was trying to get both of the boys to smile when I took this picture and only Samuel really got into it.  I love his happy smile!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Queen of Craps

This past weekend, Dave and I went to Las Vegas for the start of March Madness.  I had been really looking forward to the trip.  We really wanted to get away and try to relax.  Vegas was packed because not only was it full of guys watching and betting on basketball games, it was also St. Patrick's Day.  People were out of control wasted, loud and throughly enjoying themselves.

A little bit about the boys before I get into our complete Vegas trip.  My in-laws stayed with the boys in St. Louis and kept them very busy the whole weekend.  Joseph caught some virus, so he had a fever for a few days that soon developed into a cough.  He is almost over the cough, but he passed the virus along to Samuel, who now has had a fever for the past two days and a nasty cough.  He is coughing so hard he can't even take naps.  It is terrible for both of us!

Samuel had so much fun going to the park, painting, playing with play-doh, creating sidewalk art and running around the zoo.  He was worn out after the weekend, but had so much fun.

Joseph over the past two weeks has turned into quite the cuddler.  Right before we left for Vegas he started to want to be rocked at bedtime instead of bounced.  He has never been a rocker and didn't really enjoying cuddle time.  I was a little sad because Samuel always wanted to cuddle on the couch or before bedtime.  Joseph was always business.  When he was tired he wanted to be bounced and then put in bed.  When he hurt himself he needs a little kiss and a pat and he is good.  He never wanted a lot of attention.  Now he comes over to me when I am sitting on the floor and lays on my lap, he wants to be rocked every night and he has become so much more of a lover and I am loving it.  It is so much fun to have two boys that like to cuddle with their mom.

Okay, so back to important business...our Vegas trip.  We got in on Thursday and pretty much ate food and relaxed.  We were waiting for our friends Cara and Jon to get in town, they were there for the March Madness weekend too.  We ended up eating dinner with them and then gambling a bit and we headed to bed relatively early.  I wanted to sleep in all weekend, but I was up by 5 am all days because it was 7 am in St. Louis and that was past my normal wake up time.  I couldn't get myself to sleep in, which was a drag.

Friday afternoon was the beginning of my amazing Craps experience.  I have only played craps a few times in my life and wasn't really into it.  It seemed like money just flew off the table and didn't land back in front of me, so I was never really a fan of playing.  On Friday morning, Jon said that he would teach me how to play again and then I had my first opportunity to roll the dice.  Let's just say the three times that day that I was able to roll the dice, I seriously had the "hot hand in the dice game!" The first time, I threw the dice for about 10 minutes.  I did pretty well, but not great.  I did make us a little bit of money but nothing spectacular.

Dave watched basketball all Friday morning and then we met up for lunch and headed to Ceasar's.  We ate a great lunch and then we were heading back to our hotel, walking through the main gambling area in Ceasars and noticed that they had a $10 craps table that was completely empty.  Because I had told Dave how well I threw the dice in the morning he suggested that I try again.  This time around I threw the dice for at least 30 minutes and the table filled up within minutes.  There were guys at both ends screaming and yelling because I was hitting crazy numbers and making people some serious money.  When I finally crapped out I was shaking with excitement.  My adrenaline was pumping and it took me a long time to finally calm down.  I was on such a high the rest of the afternoon.

Then that evening, we went to dinner at Koi at Planet Hollywood, which was absolutely delicious.  I recommend going.  Then we decided to walk around and maybe a gamble a little bit.  We got to the Paris hotel and decided to try our changes again at craps.  We were at one end of the table and everyone at the other end threw the dice and they did shitty.  Everyone at the table was losing tons of money.  After about 20-30 minutes the dice finally got to us.  Jon and Dave didn't do a good job at all when throwing the dice and then it was my turn.  I was feeling pretty good after my morning, but I thought my luck was probably over.  Luckily for everyone at the table I still had it that day.  I threw the dice for probably 30-40 minutes.  People were screaming and going crazy.  One guy at the other end of the table was bowing down to me (that was awesome and what my husband does everyday, but it was nice for someone else to do it as well).  It was another amazing experience.  I think I may be in love with playing craps.

You might think that I made shit loads of money for myself, but surprisingly I didn't.  When I am throwing the dice I get really nervous about putting lots of money on the table.  I keep thinking that if I put more money out then I will lose it all and I don't like that feeling, so I put the minimum and just hope that I make money for others (especially my husband).

We had such a great time.  I love kid-less vacations.  I love my kids, but I love having alone adult time with Dave too.

Now I have to go deal with my kiddos.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Boys in Hats

Today I found hats the boys got right after Joseph was born from my Aunt Kay and Uncle Izzy.  Samuel has worn his a lots, but now the hat actually fits Joseph.  I helped them put the hats on and they loved it.  At least for about 5 minutes.  I got some cute pictures and then Samuel took my camera and took the last two of Joseph.  He actually is getting better and better with the camera.  






Friday, March 11, 2011

Day 3

I have begun my third day of no breastfeeding.  So technically I have completed 2 and a half days.  I slowly tried to ween Joseph.  Cutting off one breastfeeding every week.  The last week or so I was alternating between doing a morning feeding and a night feeding, then I just decided on Wednesday morning that I was done.  He wasn't all that interested anymore and it was becoming more of a pain.  Plus he really needs to start drinking more milk, which he is doing a great job of right now.  The good thing is that I never had to get rid of bottles for him because he never took one.  He drinks everything out of a sippy cup.  The downside is that my boobs today are killing me.  They are just sore.  They don't seem that full, which is good but they just hurt.  Hopefully in the next few days everything will start feeling better.

I was so tempted to feed him last night because he was up from 1 until 3 screaming.  We normally just let him cry himself back to sleep, but he was going nuts.  Dave and I alternated going in his room.  We were worried he was hot and then cold and then thirsty and the list goes on.  We smelled him to see if he pooped because he goes nuts when he has a poopy diaper, but we didn't smell anything.  Finally he fell back asleep, but was up by 6:30.  When I went in to change him this morning, he did in fact poop.  Dave and I learned that if he is going crazy in the middle of the night for no reason and we can't calm him down, even if he doesn't smell like poop we should change his diaper.  That probably would have saved us an hour and a half of screaming time last night.  Luckily with all the screaming he didn't wake Samuel up, so that is one positive.

Yesterday I said how terrible I was feeling.  I realized that I haven't had much time to work out because the boys being sick and their nap schedules have been off, so I haven't gotten a break at all.  Well, Joseph fell asleep on the way to pick Samuel up from school and Samuel told me if didn't feel like taking a nap yesterday, so I packed them up and headed to the gym.  I worked out for about 45 minutes and it was wonderful.  I think all I needed was some exercise time.  If the napping doesn't work again today, we are going back to the gym.  It is a win for everyone.  They get playtime and I get alone time.

Happy Friday!!!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Samuel's Check-up

Yesterday I took Samuel to his 3 year check-up.  He did pretty well.  His hearing and eye sight is great.  He still has a little bit of issues with his language skills.  I went through a questionnaire where I had to ask him questions and he was supposed to answer me verbally.  Almost all of the questions he answered by acting out.  He could do everything that required a physical response or naming all the colors and sounds of animals, but verbally he isn't quite as advanced.  He has always been slow to talk.  The doctor said it is clear that he understands everything, but just doesn't verbalize.  One interesting thing was when I asked about a color (it was red), he responded by saying rojo.  The doctor said that with some kids who are learning a new language, they start slowing down on their verbal responses to things because they are trying to think in both languages.  She said he will probably start picking up his language skills soon.

So here are Samuel's stats:

Height: 39.75 in (89%)
Weight: 41 lbs (>97%)
BMI: 18.24 (95%)  They said that 85-95% is considered overweight

The doctor said that she thought Samuel looked very talk and thin and at 3 years old the BMI is kind of inaccurate because he is so tall, but she did say that I really need to watch him because he is considered overweight.  I freaked out.  He is no where near overweight.  He is just a huge kid.  He eats pretty well.  Some days he eats a ton of veggies and then the next day a ton of fruit.  He eats when he is hungry and usually makes good food choices.  He does like junk food, but what kid at this age doesn't.  I try to limit his unhealthy snacks to one a day.  Usually after lunch or dinner he can have dessert.

The whole doctor's appointment stressed me out.  I was really feeling like a bad mom.  I think this nasty weather around here is really effecting my mood.  I have been tired and not feeling motivated to do anything.  I look around the house and think about everything I need to start packing and organizing.  My goal is to be as organized as possible when it comes to all the boxes.  I am indicating on all the boxes what rooms they go into and what is in each box.  It seems like a lot of work, but I know it will save me time and hassle when we move into our new house.  I just need to find the time to do it all.

Not only do I need to pack, but I still have to keep up with all the laundry, house cleaning, kid watching and all the meal.  It is so hard to come up with new and exciting meals everyday.  I packed all my cookbooks and food magazines, so I am just trying to through things together that I have around the house.  Frustrating!

I need some sunlight so I can get out of this funk!

Monday, March 7, 2011

My Baby is 3!

We had a wonderful birthday celebration weekend.  Savta and Papa came in town and he ate and celebrated so much.

Samuel requested a Pirate party with Mexican food and blue cupcakes.  What could I do but oblige him?! We had a little party with lots of food and fun times.

I can't believe how much Samuel has grown.  He is such a wonderful, loving, smart, independent and strong individual.  I love seeing him grown and change.  He is so beautiful and I love him so much.  I want time to slow down.  I can't believe that 3 years have already gone by.  Each day gets better and better, it isn't any easier but it is wonderful.

Here are pictures from the weekend.



Samuel was King for the day at school for his birthday.  They made him a crown and he loved it.
Samuel was so good at holding up 3 fingers.  We made him a special breakfast on his birthday.  He requested bacon and he ate about 5 slices.




He also wanted cinnamon rolls and insisted to eat them with chopsticks.  Hey, when it is your birthday you get to do what you want.




Pirate Cupcakes
Samuel hanging out with Taylor with their party hats on.  Joseph wants to be like the big kids.
Savta and Samuel
Joseph was getting in on the party action too.
Blowing out his candles
Samuel was so excited about his cupcakes.  He asked for blue cupcakes, so I put blue food coloring in the vanilla cupcakes and he loved it when we took the wrapping off.  
Here he is enjoying his first bite!
Joseph loved the chocolate cupcakes too!
He made quite a mess
Opening gifts.  He got a really cool Pirate puzzle from Dee, Jessica, David and Sydney
Andrea made Samuel an awesome make your own burrito and taco set.  She made it all by hand because she knows how much Samuel loves making his Mexican food.  He has made a burrito every day.  He loves it.  
Papa and Samuel hanging out after the party.  They were both pretty tired. 
Joseph is so independent.  He wants to feed himself all the time.  
and he is really excited about it.  
Posing for the camera
This is his mean look.  It doesn't look that mean, but he really gets into it. 
Samuel got a bike for Hanukkah and Christmas from Savta and Papa and they got him a helmet for his birthday.  He is dying to have a place to ride his bike.  Hopefully soon in the new house.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Recovering Weekend and Mexican Pizza

We spent the whole weekend recovering.  The boys are almost 100%.  They each have a little bit of a cough, but other then that they are feeling much better.  They are both sleeping all night, which is helping me recover from my minimal sleep a few weekends ago.  

Here are some pictures of the boys hanging out while we were stuck at home. 




Mexican Pizza:

Out family LOVES Mexican food.  I have been getting kind of bored with just making the regular burritos and tacos, so I decided that I wanted to try to make a Mexican pizza.  It turned out delicious.  Dave and I were the only ones to eat it because Samuel prefers to make his own burritos with all the sides.

Here is what I did:

I used a Whole Wheat Bobli pizza crust.

I warmed up some refried beans, so it would be easier to spread on the pizza crust and I put that on as my first layer.

I cooked some ground turkey and added a tiny bit of taco seasoning.  I wanted just a little bit of flavor, but I don't normally like to use taco seasoning because of all the sodium.  In retrospect, it was not necessary to use taco seasoning at all.

Then I added a blend of Mexican cheeses (you can buy that at the store).  I didn't realize that I put low fat cheese on the pizza until I put it all on.  That was a mistake because it didn't melt well at all.  However it still tasted really good.

Here is the pizza after it came out of the oven:





List of the toppings: Cool Ranch Doritos, Sour Cream, Salsa, Guacamole, Romaine Lettuce and Chopped Tomatoes.  



Then we layered, first with the sour cream:


Then with the Guacamole:


Then the Salsa:


Lastly, the romaine lettuce, tomatoes and crumbled up cool ranch Doritos.  It was delicious and easy.


Here is Samuel assembling is burrito and chowing down.  Mexican night is always a success.