what happened

Here is a cool site to see... something fun and different

All of these things are related

What do all of these things have in common?
cars
princess
spiderman
lysol,
M&M's
interruptions every 10 minutes
and lots of praise?
a slit
constant gnawing
moaning,whining and complaining







Yup, we are potty training again... only this time it is going so much better---- it is actually working this time--- we are getting there, we are getting there, we are getting there (my new mantra)
cars-- pull ups (yes, left over from Sam, but she thinks they are cool ---thankfully)
princess--pull ups
spiderman--see cars above
lysol, oh yes, lots and lots of lysol
M&M's-- these are preferred over smarties that is for sure
interruptions every 10 minutes--- seems that bladder goes into overtime when mommy is busy doing something--- or is it the candy treat? hmmm
and lots of praise?--- I will give it, cause I am ready for this to be DONE DONE DONE!
a slit-- I cut a slit in the coveted green friend in order to break this addiction
constant gnawing--- fingers, toys, elmo's eyes... everything in the mouth (we are cutting 3 molars)
moaning,whining and complaining--- I want to say it is because of all the changes occurring--- can't necessarily say that :)


funny moment---
Let me preface it by saying that Sam has been quite the encourager--- well, only because he is also the recipient of the candy (M&M's). I knew it was only a matter or time, but did not expect it so soon. About a week or so ago Molly announced that she was going to go to the potty, I of course jump up and run in after her (note: always, run after Molly on way to potty) I got there a few seconds after her only to see her bare bum standing in front of the potty. Thankfully I was able to redirect her to the sitting position, but she did not quite understand why this was necessary... Oh the joys of having an older brother.

funny moment #2--
Molly is not too fond of the slit. She sucks and sucks still, but you can see that it is not what she is expecting. The one morning when I got her up, she showed me the pacifier and said, :uh oh mommy, I break it" I just went with it. I think she was expecting me to "fix it"

funny moment #3--
So, I slit 1 pacifier. A day or so later we were 'unable' to locate that one. I found an un-slit one in the bed?! hmmm, how did that happen? So, I take that one and slit it. Again a few days later, there was an unslit one in the bed and the slit one was no where to be found. I thought I had gathered up all of the green friends that we had (there were quite a few, to say the least) prior to this weaning process. I have no earthly idea as to where Molly's stash is, but she obviously has one. I have looked, I have tried, but I can not find the 2 slit ones, but a total of FOUR unslit ones have since made their appearance. Just goes to show, if I did not know it before, she truly does have an addiction!

diva, and a wallet full of cash

wow! what is going on around here? My kids are acting like grown ups!! we were preparing to go out (to where else, but Target) and diva girl goes and gets her shades and purseAnd then Sam had to grab his wallet. (That wallet was burning a hole in his pocket for weeks!!) He had $4 in it (plus some change) and loved to keep it in this pocket on his sweat shirt. (in fact he wanted to keep wearing that sweatshirt just so that he would have a place for his wallet)
Oh yeah, and the boots, well they seem to complete EVERY outfit lately :)

curly Q

I have always imagined if I ever had a little girl that she would have big blue eyes and really great curly hair. (2 things that I don't have, but always wished I did)
Well, I did get my blue eyed beauty, but unfortunately she has straight as a board hair. It is also very thin, baby fine, so won't hold curl at all. And then I found these amazing things called "curlformers". They are not actual 'curlers" they are made of a mesh type material and are in like a spiral shape. You need a hook as well for them to work.
I love them!!! They really do work, and last throughout the day. Molly doesn't seem to mind them either. I usually put them in after bath, and she sleeps in them (I have tried the hairdryer, but she is not as fond of it and it takes too long.) I tell her we are going to put on pretty hair and pretty curlers and that is that! Isn't that hysterical? You can get them to lay down, but I just got a kick out of this :)I do think she is now ready for the longer ones now, as her hair is longer, but isn't she cute?! I know, she looks really different doesn't she?!

Pass the Good

Sports Authority has an AMAZING deal.

Until 3.31.11, you can donate used cleats, gloves and NFL merchandise and get a $10 cash card that can be used on almost everything in the store. They will give the used items to help underprivileged kids. (Remember to only donate items that you would use again yourself)

new furniture, in a state of limbo

Here is the long story--- every year I have asked for a king sized bed, every year I have been told no. Then we got an AWESOME opportunity for a King sized mattress set (thank you) Next step, we need a new bed to hold our mattress set. We were suppose to look at frames/headboards over Christmas... but that was a crazy, busy time of travel etc so we were unable to. Then, we were suppose to go over the weekend after the new year. But, my back went out and that took care of the rest of the days this month so it never happened. So, fast forward to this past Sat night. We went to the dump, but were unsuccessful. On the way home I wanted to go to another store to look at a few other things. We tried to get in, but they had shut down all of the streets (and parking lot) to this store because the cirque De sole was in town (does this not sound typical to my life?)
And, as we were maneuvering our way to get to the other store, we came across a furniture store. On a whim, we go in. It was 8:35, they close at 9. Then he showed it to us. The floor bedroom set that they were discontinuing. I loved it, but we were there only to get a head board to match our current bedroom suite right?! long story even longer... we got it... the whole set... we did have to special order the chest, but other than that, we got it.
Fast forward... we were to pick it up (um, apparently if you buy the floor piece, they will not do any sort of delivery) on Tues. Severe weather alert... We had to change plans and pick it up on Monday evening. CRAZY! Talk about rushing around, we were gone all day on Sunday so we did not have much time to get things together.
When we arrived, they had wrapped the pieces as promised, but apparently one of the legs had broken off of the dresser. They were trying to "find a fix" for it, but were unsuccessful... there were phrases like, well when you buy the floor stock it is "as is" blah, blah, blah. UM, NO, um we have not officially "bought" it yet... it turns out that they will now come out to the house to fix it in a couple of days...
fast forward. We get it all home and in the house (again, without my help--- I keep claiming that my back hurts --- no really, it DOES... STILL) Thanks dad and mom!!! we appreciated your help! We went to dinner, and on our way out the weather had changed and was spitting...
Fast forward again... the next night Kirk goes to set up the bed. They stripped the screws and failed to give us any of the hardware. Really?! UGH. Do we own bolts long enough?! nope. look outside- ice storm has frozen us in. What to do, what to do, what to do... queen bed broken down, king bed frame up. Simple... just place the queen mattress inside of the king frame... yup, we felt like we were sleeping in a cave, but hey, it worked!

****UPDATE: Thankfully Kirk went out to the "man store" yesterday and the bed was fixed last night. YEAH! *****

so, all of the clothes that were in my old dresser are in bags in my closet, I can not put them into my new dresser because they have not come to fix it yet (remember, city shuts down for the week after big ice storm) My old bedroom suite is in the dining room, can't advertise it now, (ice storm)
So, I have furniture everywhere, and unable to use any of it!!!

pictures of finished project--- when project finished :)

Don't even get me started on the bathroom project I started before Thanksgiving...

the card

ok, so why am I such an incredible procrastinator? I mean I do this to myself ALL of the time, BUT, I am going to really work on this fault of mine this year. (I know it will make my life, as well as my family's a whole lot less stressful :) )
I came up with the idea for our CHRISTmas card last spring, I had the basic concept, just did not know how I was going to execute it. now skip ahead to December--- I was busy doing this and that and then some, so every day the cards were placed on hold. First of all, I needed to find and make a gingerbread house of sorts. I did not really find the one I wanted, but I, did find a rice krispy treat one that I thought would be good (the kids are not particularly fond of 'ginger') Then I wanted the kids to make it, thought it would be cuter that way, but then Molly was sick with "the germ that never dies" so that didn't work. So yes, I ended up making the house myself in a matter of minutes so that I could quickly take a picture and send it off. The picture searching was now on-- you know, you want the most recent, cutest ones you have, preferably the Christmas-y ones.. I FINALLY chose my pictures, and no, they were not from our Christmas pictures--- we never got around to that, but from October and November. (in other words, I no longer had the excuse that I couldn't make the card because I didn't have the right picture of the kids ha)
So, all that to say, I did like my cards, yes, I would have done some things differently (probably could have, had I allowed myself enough time) so... onto next year's.... guess I had better get started now!!!--- because I don't want to send them out on the 24th again next year UGH!!!

The front--- a picture of the rice krispy treat house

Open the windows and the doors and you will see pictures of the kids
Open the house and see a picture of the whole family... The first line on the inside of the card says "Merry Christmas from our house to yours"

Ps: If you did not get one of our Christmas cards... do not feel that I do not like you, I ran out of time, then lost my list etc... I WILL be more organized next year!!!

Are you sure he didn't see his shadow?!

BRRRRRR wow has it been COLD outside!!! Just 2 days ago was groundhogs day... here was the result, and his prediction: (EARLY SPRING). THIS is what we woke up to this morning:so what do you do when you have 3-4 inches of snow on top of 2 inches of ice?! you go out and play in it of course!!! please prepare: picture overload!!! I mean really, it rarely snows here (well, except for this year and last year) so you gotta snap as many pictures as you can before it melts away right?!

snow, glorious snow!!!

preparing to attack mommyLet's try our hand at the roller coaster shall we?!

Oops, forgot to mention it was FULL of ice from the ice storm a few days ago... This is what we call a WIPE OUT!!! and full of smilesThe slide tends to be "slid-y-er"

I think they are teaming up to throw snow on me here!!

And when it is all over... remember to THAW out BEFORE you bathe!!! (other wise those frozen hands and feet will feel like they are on FIRE!!!

Here is ONE of MANY snipits of our fun in the snow on video

I think it is pretty funny how "thick" my thin little children look--- I did dress them in sumo wrestler attire, but that is only because we do not have the appropriate clothing for snow down here. Poor kids were cold, but did not want to come inside. I finally had to make them, as poor molly's shoe would not stay on her triple layered foot and i was concerned about frozen toes!!!

ice, frozen pipes, electricity outage oh my...

To say that it has been cold would be an understatement. I think that the storm that has come through is the storm of the century!! The reason I say that is because this state has shut down for 4 plus days. When I say shut down I mean it... Schools were out for not one, not two, not three but 4 days.. 4--- that is unheard of here. The ice came on Tues and never went away. Temperatures dropped to -12 degrees Fahrenheit, then last night there was SNOW on top of the ice. Not just a little snow--- but just about 4-5 inches!!!

Oh yeah, and you know that phrase: "neither rain, nor slett, nor gloom of night...? Well apparently that does NOT hold true here in Texas... we have not had mail for several days now!-- I told you, the town has SHUT DOWN!!!!

We were literally iced in. 2 inches of solid ice on driveway, in the alley and on the front street. Kirk went out yesterday and barely got the truck back up the drive into the garage (thanks to the top soil we used he got in)

Did you know that they do not insulate pipes in Texas? No, they don't want to know how I know? We had a frozen pipe... No hot water and we were questioning as to IF and WHEN it would burst. Kirk worked on it most of the day. He guessed correctly and found the source... The hot water heater is on the outside wall of the garage. He stood on a step ladder and blew the hair dryer in there for quite a while and then he cut into the wall to help get the hot air in there--- just a wall and pipe-- NO insulation of any sort... ZIP, ZERO, ZILCH. Way to go honey, thanks for preventing an enormous headache not to mention bill!So, it is the COLDEST day of the week. wind chills below zero and what happens? The electricity goes out. It was exciting for the kids (until they realized that all cartoons are attached to electricity) but we were questioning how long this was to happen, and when do we need to get the blankets out. Thankfully it was only out for 30 minutes, we were able to find out that they were randomly turning off electricity state wide. (whew, good to know it was controlled and not a snapped power line) Thankfully it only happened 2 times, for just an hour!

This was to be a busy week, instead it turned into crazy, lazy house-bound-ness. I love my house, I love my family, but I am SO ready to get out!! I mean, I live in Texas for a reason you know?!
I do feel really sorry for Jerry though--- we are hosting the super bowl, not so sure the bad weather and shut down towns were in his big plan!