Update

It's been a few weeks again since I've updated...so I guess it's time! We've finally had some nice weather again, and have been spending lots of time outside and eating popsicles! We went out to eat the other night at the mall and promised the kids they could play after we ate. Unfortunately, we weren't thinking that it was a Sunday, and by the time we were finished with dinner, the mall had closed and we couldn't get to the play area. So we initiated Plan B and went to Dairy Queen. It had an "outside only" eating area. Nolan and Natalie sat with their cones quietly for the most part. Nathan, however, had no interest in eating any ice cream and walked around flirting with everyone instead. He had many failed attempts at escaping to the road, but we caught him every time and destroyed his plan. I didn't take any pics here, and wish I could have, but we were too busy keeping up with the kids to make sure no one took off! Natalie's face was covered in ice cream, but she enjoyed every second of it (her food allergies have seemed to disappear thankfully). All the people around us were getting lots of laughs from watching our kids get extremely messy and trying to escape! We must have looked like a three ring circus.


Today is the deadline for the father/daughter look alike contest for the local newspaper. I finally got a decent picture of Matt and Natalie together last night....just in time! I just hope it's good enough to capture their likeness!

Here's the pic I submitted.

Nathan the "nakey-butt"

Playing with the water hose.

Is he cute, or what?

Embarrassing Honesty

The other night, Matt was watching one of our neighbor's dogs run through our flowers. He started complaining about the dog and mentioned that he thinks that is the dog that's been pooping in our yard. Matt was thinking out loud of the things he could do to prove his point to the neighbor, and said next time he finds poop in our yard, he would take it down to this neighbor's house and set it on their porch. Nolan told Matt that would not be a very nice thing to do....thanks Nolan for the voice of reason.

Matt and Nolan were outside yesterday evening, and our neighbor and his dog were outside close to our house. Matt was talking to the neighbor, when Nolan asked Matt what his name was. Matt told Nolan what his name was, and then Nolan says, "Terry, my dad wants you to keep your dog out of our yard!" Matt said as soon as Nolan opened his mouth, he knew what was about to come out. Matt was trying to cover Nolan's mouth as soon as he began talking....but it was just too late. So then Matt had to tell Terry that he thought his dog may be one of the dogs that poop in our yard. The neighbor apologized and said he will try to keep on eye on him to make sure he's not messing in our yard anymore.

Hopefully the poop problem has been solved thanks to Nolan. Kids are just honest, what can I say?

So Elated!

I just came from the mailbox, and finally received the preschool letter. Nolan was accepted into the program! He'll start when the public schools are back in session, and will attend four days a week. This will be such a help not only for myself, but for Nolan too. Though he plays well and interacts well with others, he doesn't have much opportunity to be around kids his own age. I'm not expecting him to be gung-ho about attending, but hopefully after a little time he'll be excited too. And the best part for us is - it's free!!! Thank goodness they have this program cause we can't even begin to afford the cost of what the private preschools charge around here.

Weekend with Family

This weekend we went back to Hurricane for Judson's fourth birthday party and Jennifer's wedding shower. We had a really great time at both events. We headed in town on Friday and had an uneventful trip. I had kept the kids up in hopes that they would sleep for the ride in, and luckily they all did. Natalie woke up about 5 miles from the exit, and Matt said, "You're just in time, Natalie. We're almost at Mom-o's house." Next thing you know, Nolan pops right up. His Mom-o sensor kicked in as soon as he heard her name!

We tried a new sleeping arrangement this time, and it turned out to be perfect. Nathan slept in the crib, and Natalie slept in the big bed in the same room. I had concern that Natalie would wake up Nathan or decide to wonder around in the middle of the night, but none of this happened. Matt and I actually got to sleep together without Nolan in the middle. When he's at Mom-o's, he likes to cuddle up with her at night instead!

We headed to Jason and Kim's on Saturday afternoon for the party. The kids were so well-behaved and played very well with each other and the other kids there. Natalie was a happy girl as long as she had a balloon. I had picked out some Superman PJ's for Judson, and felt like such a boring aunt since I didn't get him a toy. However, the pajamas were a hit. They had a Velcro cape that attached to the shirt, and by the end of the party, Judson was wearing the pajamas and pretending that he was Superman.

Saturday evening, Matt and I headed off to Charleston for Jennifer's wedding shower. It was a couple's shower, which I had never been to before, but really enjoyed. It was nice to see Jennifer and Aaron together since I haven't had much of a chance to spend time with the two of them. What a perfect pair. I'm so happy for her and am very much looking forward to their big day!

Sunday, after we had our Mother's Day dinner at Mom-o's we headed back. The weather was terrible, but thankfully the worst of the rain was only in the first 20 minutes of the trip back. Matt and I had taken to-go cups of coffee with us, so unfortunately we did have to stop at a rest area on the way back home. Matt asked Nolan if he needed to use the bathroom, and of course he said he wanted to. So Nolan unfastened his seat belt, but then complained that he was stuck. Somehow, he had locked up his seat belt and had also wrapped it around himself a time or two. When he had tried himself to get out, all of the slack in the belt had retracted. Matt tried everything to get him out of the seat belt, including taking Nolan's pants off. But, nothing worked to get him out, and it just seemed to get tighter and tighter around his belly. I searched the owner's manual trying to find a secret to unlocking the belt. I even sat in my seat, locked up my own seat belt, and tried to figure out if there was a way to unlock it without actually retracting the belt back in...but to no avail. So our last resort was to cut the seat belt off of him. Matt thankfully had a sharp knife with him, and we were able to get Nolan freed. Now, we'll have to take the van to the dealership to get a new seat belt. I told Matt we should ask the mechanics if there is a way to unlock the belts in case this ever happens again.

The kids seemed pretty happy to be back home and they were all pretty exhausted. I'm hoping for some long naps today, so that I too can get some rest! Here are some pics from the weekend.

Now vs. Then

I've got all the kids asleep, and I should be napping too....but today I can't seem to. I'm thinking in my head of the things I used to do and enjoyed so very much....and how these things have changed since becoming a mother. So here we go!

1. I used to love taking a hot bubble bath and soaking for about an hour ,with candles lit, and maybe playing some soft music to set the tone. Now, my baths are taken rarely alone and with lukewarm water. Someone is usually trying to pour water over my head, or someone is standing close by asking me if I want some bath toys!

2. I used to love coming home after getting a haircut and working in front of a mirror trying to find a new way to style my hair. These days, after a haircut, I have little ones who want to brush my hair for me and make it look great!

3. I used to love driving in my sporty car with the windows rolled down and the radio cranked way up. Now, I drive a minivan with windows sometimes cracked to keep too much air off the kids. The radio is just loud enough for me to hear so my music doesn't interfere with the kids' DVD.

4. I used to love spending a day cleaning my house like crazy! Sweeping every crumb, wiping down every wall, and cleaning windows till they shined. These days, I have little helpers all around. They help me dust and sweep and put away dishes. As soon as the house is clean though, I find little sticky handprints all around and new crumbs scattered on the floor.

As much as I miss my time to myself, I wouldn't trade the "now" for the "then." My kids are great, and there is so much love in our house. I'll take the dirty handprints, the minivan, the crowded baths, and the crazy hair...because I know one day I'll have time to myself and will miss all these things (well, maybe not the minivan).