Last Night...

...I had all these great ideas for things I wanted to blog about.


Guess what happened to them this morning? I woke up. And they were gone. :) That'll teach me to postpone blogging...or at least it will teach me to jot them down somewhere.


But, I was busy last night working on a quilt while my Dear Sweet Hubby watched a movie and had a little facebook time for himself. And, I can proudly say that my quilt is nearly done! YAY! I only have the handquilting to do...which I'm sure will take a bit, but I am looking forward to relaxing on the couch in the evenings, handquilting the quilt, and spending some very much needed quality time with Dear Sweet Hubby. He's been working like a madman lately, and things are finally starting to go back to normal (phew!), so it will be nice to have him home and more importantly, have him home more relaxed. :)


I can never express how thankful I am that God has blessed me with a husband that works so hard to provide for his family. I can never find the words strong enough to let him know that I am grateful everyday that he works so hard to make it possible for me to be a stay at home mommy. And I don't think I'll ever be able to fully describe how happy it makes me that having me at home and being here to raise our child (and hopefully future ones!) is a top priority for him. Even more amazing is the fact that Dear Sweet Hubby works 55-60 hours a week, and on top of that, drives 10-14 hours back and forth to work, just so we can live close to my parents in a town that we love.


To sum it all up? Dear Sweet Hubby is amazing. :)


This past Thursday marked 9 years of us being together as an official couple. :) We were almost out of high school when we became boyfriend/girlfriend, and it's been 9 years of love, laughter, and the occasional argument. (OK...I'll be honest...we're both very stubborn and butt heads on a lot of silly things. But...never anything big, and we've never gone to bed mad at each other. That's what is important.)


There are all those statistics out there that talk about failed marriages of people who marry young and whatnot, and I love that my hubby and I are one of the marriages that prove those stupid statistics wrong. :) Every hardship we've had, we've gone through together, and every wonderful happiness (and there are have been tons of those!) we've gone through together.


When we were first dating, we would give each other sweet little notes and cards (which we still have), and in all of them we talked about the same thing. How happy we were that we finally found the loves of our lives. How blessed we were to have each other. And how we looked forward to growing old together.


And you know what? All those things hold true.


Everyday I am over the moon that I have the love of my life by my side. Everyday I thank God for the husband he blessed me with. And everyday, I love knowing that when I'm old and grey, my Dear Sweet Hubby will be by my side. :)

And to think...when I started writing today, I had no idea what I was going to write about. :)

A Rather Late Night...yawn!

What does God share with me on a night when I can't catch a wink? (Silly Pepsi. We have a love/hate relationship.)

He shows me a blog that is just the perfect mix of humor, honesty, and wonderful homeschooling ideas. :) It's been a good night.

And now, I'm off to bed. And no, I'm not so tired that I forgot to share the link. ;) Here it is! Enjoy! "The Family Revised"

Another Fun Day In Toddlerville

You're probably wondering why I have a photo of a plain old piece of paper, aren't you?

Well, this isn't just a plain old piece of paper. Look closer at the side and bottom.

Do you notice something? That's my little guy's cutting handiwork. :)

He is proving to be quite a natural at using a scissors! He is starting to be able to hold the paper on his own and accomplish cutting, but for now, I still hold the paper while he practices.

Open. Close. Open. Close. Open. Close. Don't grab the scissors like that. Open. Close. Open. Close.

We got him THESE scissors and will eventually start using THIS book as he gains a little bit more proficiency in his scissors skills. I have a feeling we will be using the book a bit sooner than we originally thought! LBB seems to really accelarate when he is learning hands on (which makes him a kinesthetic learner according to a few articles I've read and a short little quiz I found on how your toddler learns), and this scissors thing was no exception. Oh...and here is what rocks. I found THIS article on how a kinesthetic learner learns best, and I'm so excited to be able to fine tune LBB's education just for him. And the other cool thing...we've always said that we thought LBB was going to learn best by going on field trips and having hands on learning, and I think at this rate, we are going to be right. That's an awesome feeling!

OK. Anyhoo. I'm done bragging about my little guy...for now. :)

So, I've been having a major mommy issue lately. And it can be summed up in one simple word.

Consistency.

I always have the best of intentions, but when it comes down to it...I tend to start strong, and fizzle out. (Ha. Take this blog for example.) BUT. I think I found a solution. I got an adorable binder at Target (I've found if I don't like how it looks, I don't use it.) Some tabs and some loose leaf paper. A few planning pages to start me out. And I think I'm on my way to consistency!!!! I mapped out a little "schedule" for our days (although they are not set in stone...what fun is that?) and am keeping track of activites we want to do and meals to make for lunch. Because, to be quite honest, I am a dud at figuring out what to make for lunch. :) I started out strong in that area (no surprise there) but as LBB got pickier and pickier and pickier...I flopped a bit.

But no more!!! I'm a newly revived Mommy! I've got big plans and fun days planned.

On a sidenote...being a newly revived Mommy is not as easy as it sounds (which I think is a good sign that I'm doing something right. Haha.) I realized how much of my day I spent not doing fun things with LBB. And not to discount what I was doing before, but I think it's healthy to admit that one can always be doing a bit better, right? And on a second sidenote...I think I can safely say that being a newly revived Mommy is going to be good for me as well. More energy because I'm not giving into the "sleepies". A better outlook on how I am doing as Mommy. And, last but definitely not least, better health. Just today I played with LBB outside, danced around to "Barnyard Dance" by Sandra Boynton at least 6 times, and acted like a goofball while we watched "The Fresh Beat Band."

Simply said, it feels wonderful!

I'm going to keep fine-tuning my daily binder. And once I get it all tweaked, I promise I'll share it with you. :) But for now, I'm going to keep working on that little consistency issue...I figure I've got a few years before we start "officially" homeschooling, so until then, these are the years that LBB and I figure out what things work for us, what we need to work on, and what daily routines are best for us. And as we learn what works best for us, we both have a lot more fun each day!

Alrighty. That was a lot of blabbering and congrats to you, my dear reader, for making it all the way through it! :) You're the best. :)

LBB is 16 months old!

My little LBB is 16 months old! He is getting to be such a big boy!

So...at 16 months:

• LBB is still as picky as ever when it comes to food. However, his appetite is slowly expanding to include not just fruit strips and raviolis, but lots of CORN, bread and Ritz crackers as well. :)


• is loving his new room and play area. He's seemed to be having a much better time of getting into a sleep routine now that everything is nice and organized. He has been playing tons and this Mommy doesn't mind one bit...it's easy to get the messes cleaned up now!


• waves Goodbye and Goodnight.


• Loves to look at books and "read" us snippets. He doesn't have much of an attention span when it comes to sitting, so we've found the best times for storytime are at mealtimes and bedtime.


• Gives hugs and kisses all the time. He is a very lovey boy!


• Loves to feed the kitties and PaPa and GiGi's doggie. It's his new little "chore" when he is at their house, and every morning, he is right next to me when it's time for the kitties to eat. He holds the cup, and with just a little bit of guidance feeds them. So cute!


• Loves to color, paint, and is learning how to use scissors.


• Is beginning to be able to do simple puzzles. We're at the beginning process of learning, but he started to figure out that he needed to put the cow where the cow goes and so on.


• His favorite show is "The Fresh Beat Band" on Nick Jr. We allow 2 half hour shows a day, and this is usually one of them. He likes to dance along, but sometimes on his "lazy" days he just likes to watch them and cuddle with Mommy and Daddy.


• Can point to Mommy's nose, and knows where his head is. At storytime, he was able to place the little butterfly on his head, nose, and toes. :) What a smarty-pants.


• Is an amazing sharer. He outshares all the kids in his storytime...it makes this Mommy very proud!


• Still loves to help the children's librarian during storytime. And he also loves using the little parachute...he squeals and laughs and has an absolute blast when they play the parachute game.


• Can run off and on, climbs stairs, and is beginning to be able to step down one or two stairs with our help. He's also a little monkey and climbs on EVERYTHING!!!!


• Can say: MaMa, DaDa, Good, Bob (the name of the squirrel), La (for light), and nods his head yes when he wants to say yes and no when he wants to say no.


• Has been to the zoo, aquarium, airport, and nature center in the past month. He loves to go and see the animals at the zoo and especially loved the Snow Monkeys that day! It was quite a surprise.


• Can drink out of a cup! Most of the time at home now, if he isn't drinking anything that can really stain his clothes or the carpet, LBB drinks exclusively from a regular old cup!

And I kind of think there is more (which I say every month) and I can always update it if I think of more. :) He does so much each day it gets hard to keep track! I definitely need to start writing in this blog more, because not only is it a great way for us to keep friends and family up to date on our life, but it's a really good way for me to remember what I want to put in his memory book and what I want to scrapbook. :)

Funny Tales From ToddlerVille

• We have a regular squirrel visitor. He's quite the annoying little thing, but he's cute, and I love squirrels, so we don't mind him too much. Let me correct that...I don't mind him too much. LBB on the other hand, does. Today when Mr. Squirrel stopped by for a visit, he was greeted by Cat 1 cackling at him and LBB yelling at him. With his Elmo phone in his hand. LBB kept holding out his phone and hollering (with the window open of course) "BOB! BOB!" Apparently Mr. Squirrel's first name is Bob and Elmo was trying to get a hold of him.


• This morning I told LBB it was time to get dressed. As I was going through his clothes looking for a specific outfit, LBB walks up to me, yellow fleece Spongebob PJ's in hand, and gives it to me. Apparently, LBB was ok getting out of his Cars PJ's, as long as it meant putting his yellow Spongebob jammies on instead. Needless to say, LBB is not wearing his Spongebob jammies around today. (Instead he is wearing a shirt that says "Big Trouble. Little Shirt." Yeah, it fits.)


• LBB chased Cat 1 through the whole house today, walking behind her, pointing, and yelling "Meah! Meah!" I don't know if he was trying to make a meow sound or what his goal was, but the poor cat was freaked out like crazy.


• Yesterday for lunch, LBB and I made a pizza. We bought one of those premade pizza crusts, spread some yummy Trader Joe's pizza sauce on top (which he got a kick out of!), and then he sprinkled the mozzarella cheese on top. When it was time to put the pizza in the oven, LBB screamed his head off. Needless to say, LBB didn't eat a bite.


• And last but definitely not least...if you want to see the definition of mess, give a toddler boy an Oreo Cakester and let him have at it. :)

Ah. Toddlerhood. It rocks. :)

Kicking the Winter Blues in the Butt

You know when you get to a certain part of winter, and you're bored. And all you want to do is sleep. And eat. And veg around with a good book? Well, I've hit that. However, when a toddler gets to that point, it's quite the opposite. :) LBB's been a tad more stubborn than his normal stubborn self (which, coincidentally, seemed impossible to me.) He always wants to go outside. Go for walks. And just has a general level of crankiness and stubborness that is sometimes a little difficult to contend with.

So, I said to myself:

"Self, stop being a lazy Mommy. You may want to cuddle up on the couch and wait for these winter blues to go away, but you can't. Suck it up."

And you know, there is a lot of resources out there for fun activities to do with little tots during the winter blues. So, today we implemented a few of them. :)

For LBB's lunch, I decided I'd try to outmanuever that finicky eater and trick him into eating something that had a little more nutritional value than a fruit strip. And here's what I came up with:

Yes, those are cut up pieces of fruit strips in one of the cups. :) But...he did eat about 1/2 of his puppy sandwich, so I'm not going to complain too much. (The cheerios, on the other hand, turned into small bombs that he launched at the cat.)

Then it was onto playing with his sensory bin. This seriously couldn't be an easier to put together...a trip to the store for a dish pan. Throw in some rice, dried beans, and a little glitter if you want (I avoided the glitter...Dear Sweet Hubby gets home from his business trip today and I'm sure the last thing he wants to see is his son covered in glitter. HA!) I picked up a 6 pack of cheap plastic cups, and LBB was entertained for at least 15 minutes. (Hey, it may not sound like a long time, but for a boy who generally has an attention span of 2 minutes with his toys, it seemed like an eternity.)

Cat #2 was also pretty enthralled with the concept of an "indoor sandbox" (I'm hoping she doesn't mistake it for a litter box) and even after she left, LBB would kindly bring a few beans to her. He shares so well it amazes me. (And this is a toy that requires FULL supervision for a tot like LBB...he'll put anything in his mouth. The other day he found piece of carpet fiber and tried to eat it. Ew.)

I got LBB down for his nap and read THIS wonderful article about how when you are raising a spirited child (feisty, impulsive, strong-willed, etc etc etc. In other words, LBB. If you read the second paragraph, she is not only describing her daughter, but my little guy as well) you can try all the "suggested" ways to try to get that little one to conform...but God's plan is a little different than that. Obviously you need to figure out what discipline works, but you also need to realize that the generaly personality isn't going to change. (Does that make sense? I don't want you all to think I'm ok with letting my kid run rampant!)

So, as I listened to my LBB yell in his room because I was making him take a nap in his bed, I chuckled to myself while I read the article. I had decided that I was going to see if letting him cry it out would put a stop to the bedtime issues we've been having the past few nights. And then, quiet. :) Sweet, sweet quiet that is so much more meaningful when you have a rambunctious little one running around. I went to go check on him (he bumped his head bigtime earlier today and I wanted to make sure he was ok), and as I go to open the door, I realize...

There's something blocking the door.

Let me rephrase that: There's SOMEONE blocking the door. :)

In the midst of his tantrum, LBB fell asleep in front of his door. I was finally able to get the door open just enough to fit my hand in, moved his legs, open the door a bit more, and transferred him to his bed. He is now soundly sleeping...in his bed, as most people would like, covered up with his blankie and snuggling with his bear.

Ah. Spirited. I think that hits the nail on the head. :)

15 Months...

...WHAT?!?!?!

OK. So I don't know how that happened! But then again, I suppose I've said that a lot on here, so it's probably old news to all of you. :) However, it still knocks my socks off how quickly time flies by with a child. Sigh...stop growing LBB!

But truthfully, I wouldn't trade this stage for anything. Newborn LBB was fun. 6 month LBB was a blast. 9 month LBB was exciting. 12 month LBB was amazing. But toddler LBB...well, that's a whole different scenario. There's never a dull moment with him (as I said in my last post), and there is not a day that passes that he doesn't learn something new. Or does something hilarious.

And that's not to say there haven't been some...issues. :) I read a quote tonight that said "Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare." (Ed Asner.) Yeah, I'd say that sums it up pretty well.

Since I haven't done one of these in a while, here's an update of LBB at 15 months...I'd share his height, but I only have his weight due to a nice little ER visit on Friday night. LBB weighs 25.6, which means he didn't seem to gain a whole lot of weight, but, he also sprouted up a few inches in my opinion, so I think it all evens out. So here goes. At 15 months, LBB:

• can feed himself with a spoon. It's a tad messy, because, well, he tips the spoon upside EVERY time. Most of the time it's a gamble if it's going to make it in his mouth, or on his leg (which still makes it in his mouth...and he still uses the spoon. I really should start taking bets with Dear Sweet Hubby whether or not each spoonful will make it in. :) And he won't let us help him much anymore, either, so if we want him to eat anything...we have to let him do it himself. He's embracing this independence thing with arms wide open.
• And speaking of eating...he is the pickiest eater ever. I swear. (However, I'm sure my mom would disagree with this. LOL!) He only likes applesauce, mini-beef ravioli, corn, Gerber fruit snacks, and Chipotle. Yes, you read that last one right...bring him to Chipotle and he can put down a small quesadilla, a serving of pinto beans, a little rice, a whole container of chocolate milk, and some of their fresh salsa. Crazy kid (and he doesn't even flinch when he eats a bit of jalapeno, whereas I'm reaching for a drink as quick as possible!)
• Loves to dance. He's a big fan of music in general...he'll pretty much listen to anything and find a beat to dance to.
• Is running. And it scares the living daylights out of me.
• Can climb onto the couch. And bounce on it. And maniacally run across it despite all attempts by Mommy and Daddy to stop him. He's fallen off once, but it still hasn't fazed him.
• Is learning to say the word "Baby."
• Is doing great in his toddler bed, although we do have a few rough days here and there.
• Can help make bread. Sweeps the floor. Helps unload the dishwasher. And use his swiffer to "clean" after he's swept. He can also put things back where they belong, and sometimes we don't even need to ask him to.
• Loves going for walks.

Hmmm. I'm forgetting things. And I can't go look because his milestone calendar is hanging in his room, and he is finally asleep. :) So, I suppose it's off to work on his curtains for his new room! Have a great night!