Seriously

When do boys stop with the peeing on the floor bit?

Ian stood in front of the toilet yesterday, pants down around his ankles, huge pee puddle over the entire floor, toilet not even open.

It was an eMERgency, he says.

GAH!

Heads Up

Got a call from Grace just now that reminded me...

If you are my friend (or enemy!) and Bryan or I have your phone number programmed into our cell phones...you may just get a call from Wyndham Resorts regarding an exciting timeshare opportunity. Sorry!

While we were in Vegas, we accidentally bought a timeshare (what can I say? We are totally cheap and got suckered off the street into listening to their presentation for $100 worth of food vouchers to many restaurants on the strip!) and we were forced to give them the names of 24 of our closest friends and relatives in exchange for a really cool Las Vegas coffee mug and a luggage tag.

So. It's not a hoax. It's legit. You may as well take their 4 day/3 night stay in Vegas and listen to their spiel. Just tell them no at the end. You can get the same timeshare deal in resale for $10,000 cheaper than what they are selling it to you new. We actually ended up canceling our contract afterwards, but are interested in buying something resale if anyone has any leads...!

Sorry again, and you're welcome :)

School Daze

This morning, Ian did not want to go to school. I told him that he needs to go because:

1- It's fun.
2- He has lots of friends there to play with.
3- His teachers will miss him if he doesn't go.

and 4- He and Mommy need to take a break from each other sometimes. (!)

He looks at me and says, "But, Mommy. I want to stay here and talk to you ALL DAY LONG."

Now, honestly, you know I adore my children. But this whole no-nap thing is driving me just a little insane... as in, I NEED A BREAK EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. And although the thought of his little voice rambling on all day long is cute...it also makes me twitch a little bit. Is that bad? Suddenly I'm feeling like a very, very bad mother.

The Change

Ian and Leah were eating apples outside the other day. Leah's apple had skin on it, Ian's was peeled.

Ian: I don't like the skin.
Leah: I like skin.
Ian: That's because girls like skin, but boys don't.
Leah: Yeah, because I'm a girl (only she pronounces it go-ya, too cute!) and I like it.
Ian: Yeah. And when I turn into a girl, then I will like apple skin, too!

Hm...? How's that, again?

Transitions

I know, I owe you lots of posts. Especially Vegas news.

But just a little Chase news right now to tide you over until I can sit down and do some picture uploading...

Apparently, while we were in Vegas, Little Man decided to start transitioning from belly to sitting on a regular basis. He had done this once before, back at the beginning of March. Since we've been home, I've found him sitting in his crib once, and twice he's sat up without my seeing him. Then yesterday he did it in front of the ST, and just now he did it while I was on the floor with him!!

Chase has also discovered that he can lay on his belly, push with his toes, and REACH to get things. He's commando crawling...inch by inch...and sometimes rolling over instead of going forward. But it's definitely purposeful moving :)

The waving has continued. I can say "Hi Chase!" and he'll wave back enthusiastically. I can also say "Pat pat pat!" and he'll smack the ground or the table (or Bryan's head if he's riding on his shoulders). AND we can tell him "Chase, row your boat!" and he'll get on all fours and rock. So cute! I'm so proud of his new accomplishments!

Chase is (almost) ONE!

Since we will be gone for his birthday (God, I feel awful about that! Ok- not awful enough to pass up on the free vacation, but still. You know what I mean.) we celebrated Chase's first birthday this evening with Papa and Gaga.

His birthday meal was roast chicken, cornbread, and potato salad. He LOVED it all. And put potato salad into his ear. He also thoroughly enjoyed his cake and ice cream...until he was too tired to continue.

And just in time for his party...he learned how to wave!!! We spent the whole dinner waving at each other. He'd take a bite. Look around a little. Then start waving! Then everyone else would stop mid-bite and wave back, going, "Hiiiiieeee Chaseyyyy!" like lunatics. I bet Chase kept doing it because he liked the power he held over us all.

So, Happy Birthday to my littlest man :)

Luck Be A Lady

Well, all that's left is the last minute packing before we leave tomorrow morning (if you can call it that...last I checked the sun wasn't up at the time we are supposed to leave for the airport, so technically...still the middle of the night.)

The kids will be here with Papa and Gaga. Papa gets to go to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Gaga will be chasing both boys by herself during the week. Wish her luck.

It's kind of sad leaving Ian and Chase. Yeah. But I'm ready for some Bryan and Laurie time :)

Wish us luck! Hope the tables are hot at the Bellagio- Mama needs a new car!! (Does anyone know how to play craps??)

Pea Hands

Sure, Ian is totally happy now...but does he know that Chase is plastering him with macaroni and cheese and pea hands??

New Life

We have 3 sunflower sprouts!!

That is all.

Let the Summer Games Begin!

aka, The Reason Why Buying a White Swimsuit is Not a Good Idea When You Live In Red-Clay North Carolina.

Ian played hard in the sprinkler with Andy, Kenna, and Porter yesterday. And when the sprinkler comes out, so do the mud puddles! Seriously. I bleached those things and they still have an orange tinge...

Almost Alone

I tried to get in a quick moment by myself in the bathroom just now. But Ian eventually wandered in.

Ian: Mommy? What are you doing?
Me: Going potty, baby.
Ian: (In all seriousness) Oh. I'll stay in here to make sure you are safe. Because there might be monsters. Or a wasp. A wasp could come out of that light. And poke you. And if a wasp came out of that light and poked you, then I would run and get my Blue Dog. ...Or it could be a blue monster.
Me: Thanks, Ian.

Not a Surprise.

Chase is starting to be mobile. In a kind of rolling-pushing-creeping kind of way. Nothing with a real name. And not real consistent.

When Ian started to crawl, he had one motivation. I've found it to be the same thing with Chase. I should have known. It shouldn't be a surprise, what with the techno-junkie I have for a husband.

Both of them are only mobile in order to reach the remote control.

And for My Next Trick..

The front yard!

What was once a shameful excuse for landscaping will be magically transformed into a beautifully landscaped area. I started today with the spade, cutting the edge for the new bed and starting to rip up the sod. Maybe I'll have it all ripped up and cleaned out by Friday...?

And no, this has nothing to do with the pint of Ben & Jerry's Cheesecake Brownie ice cream that I ate in one sitting this morning.

The House of Ick

Ian had a fever a few days ago, and along with it came night terrors.

Chase has a runny nose with green snot.

I couldn't stop sneezing yesterday, took NyQuil last night and STILL woke up 3 times.

...and now I think I have an ear infection. Who gets ear infections when they are adults?! My neighbor Kim was just talking about her ear bothering her the other day. Did I catch her ear bug? Is that possible?

Ugh. I just feel like total ick.

The Toe Fairy

Ian winced with pain as I was putting his socks on this morning.

"Ow! Mommy, that hurts because my toe is loose!"

Yikes. A loose toe? How much do you get for that if you leave it under your pillow?!?

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Well, nothing's growing just yet. But I have high hopes that it will!

I finished digging the garden plot out on Friday, bought wood and hauled it home hanging out the back of the Santa Fe (the whole time telling Ian to please, please, stop touching the wood or else you will get a splinter- I don't care if it's too close to you there is no other place to put it in the car and get it home thankyouverymuch), used actual power tools to make the frame-- yes, a saw (took me two days to figure out the safety on that thing- had to call my dad finally and ask) and a drill!-- filled it with compost, garden soil and peat moss (and yes, I counted this as exercise. Lugging six 40lb bags from Lowe's with both children in the cart, to the car, then from the driveway around the house to the backyard totally counts.)

Ian and I planted sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, green beans, and green onions. And by we, I mean I showed him how to carefully place the seeds in the trench that we dug out, and he lobbed them into the air and hoped they landed where they should. We may very well have green onions growing amongst the sunflowers. Time will tell.

Wicked Good!

BEWARE! DRAMA DORKINESS AHEAD!


I loved, loved, loved, loved Wicked!! Thank you sooooo much to Tina Cheney (Tiff's Mom) for the show, lunch afterwards, and great women to share it with.

The show was everything I hoped it would be, with a couple surprises, as it veered from the book lots, but was pulled together really nicely. Fiyero had kind of a nasally voice...but everyone else ROCKED.

Look at how big our grins are as we awaited the start of the show:


Also, check out Tiff's blog for more pictures and words about it :)

Makes me miss the stage. Makes me want to audition for some community theatre.

Thursday Update

Couple of things crossed off my to-do list. Some in progress.

1- Chase's visit with Dr. Attori. NO PROBLEMS! The vision of a perfect surgery. As it stands today, Hirschsprung's Disease is no longer an issue :) We only have to go back if something unforeseen happens.

2- Therapies. Still 2 more to go. But I got the word from our caseworker that the state will be picking up ST for Chase and we should be able to start that next week. Yay!

3- I don't know if this was on my list, but I got my haircut. Nothing drastic. But I feel a little better knowing that I'm kind of taking care of myself. And the most awesome thing? The hairdresser came to Tiff's house while most of the children (hers and mine) were napping, and the ones who weren't napping were doing preschool at Angelle's house. Awesome.

4- Going to see Wicked today. So excited :) It will be a welcome break. And I'll wear something that isn't 3 day old jeans and the shirt I slept in the night before.

5- Don't tell anyone who cares about child labor laws, but I've been doggedly digging my garden bed in the backyard with the help of Ian and Andy (the 4 year old that he is "dating" from next door). They work really hard for the small price of a few Thin Mint cookies. We're about 6 inches down in the clay, on a 4x8 plot. I bought wood to make the frame and just have to figure out how to unlock the miter box saw in order to cut everything down and put it all together. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish that and fill it with dirt and sunflower seeds by Friday.

Milestone

Ian and Chase just ate the exact same thing for lunch:

a hotdog, canned peaches, and baked beans

And Chase's lunch wasn't even pureed!

Granted, Ian ended up with a lot less of it smeared on his face, but still.

A Search

I'm reluctant to post about this. But Bryan and I have been church-hunting. Huh. After I typed that it sounds like witch-hunting, but what I really mean to compare it to is house-hunting.

I think we've found a place that calls to us. We're going back next Sunday.

Coming from two families very embedded in classic church traditions (sit, stand, kneel, repeat) it is difficult to immediately embrace a church such as Elevation. But the message, oh, the message, speaks so clearly to me. And, I hope, to Bryan. It was a rock concert with a message. It was down and dirty salvation. It was snap you out of your lives, look at what you could have Christianity.

Really. I know, I know. Eyeballs rolling. Whatever. It's different from what we've been about forever. BUT. It feels good. It feels right. It feels like we need to give it an honest to goodness, no holds barred chance.

So, we'll see. One step at a time. Check it out. Tell me your thoughts. Anything goes.

Another Florida Adventure

Still trying to catch up. Part of my blogging absence was due to the 6 days we spent driving to Florida for an almost Maddex Boys family reunion (3 out of the 4 brothers were there, along with Grama DiPiero).

LeShayne was an awesome hostess, putting up with our junk all over her really clean house, cooking for us all, and making coffee for me in the morning. You rock.

Here is a photo journey of the trip. Please ignore the sideways-ness of some of the pics. I thought I had rotated them. And now I just don't feel like going back and fixing anything. Deal.


Chase found a kindred spirit in his cousin Tori. He lit up every time he saw her!
The boys at the beach- Aedan, Ian, and Tristan. Of course, I didn't have my camera with me when Ian actually got in the water. Trust me, it was cute.
My boys aboard Captain Memo's Pirate Adventure Cruise. Thanks to LeShayne for organizing such a cool field trip.
Chase likes the booty.
Arrrrrrgh! Yes, I got hit with the face-painting pirate and Ian avoided it.
They fired a cannon, but first gave out headphones? earmuffs? to protect the little ones' ears. The headsets shooshed Chase's cheeks up- too funny!
We had awesome fod at lunch on Sunday...but crappy service. It's ok. It made for lots of time to fool around.
All the older cousins (minus Taylyn in CO) put their best faces forward.
I call this one "Daddy Devours Baby".
Uncle Brett with his daughter, Aislynne, the youngest of the bunch.
Tori, Ty (an honorary Maddex), and Chase read books while the other kids and dads play frisbee at the park.
We wrapped up our stay with a swim in the pool. And what's an afternoon at the pool without popsicles?? Chase wasn't sure what to think about his...
Tori, Tristan, and Ian devoured theirs.
Chase loved the pool- we found a floaty that fit him. He spent lots of time splish splashing inside and outside of it. Ian tried water wings for the first time, but still needs Daddy to keep him afloat.

Vegas, Baby!

So, remember when Bryan and I were going to Chairman's Club with his bank at the Greenbrier Resort? And I was super excited?

Well, we're not going.

Because they changed venues and we're going to Vegas, BABY!

We're staying at the Bellagio. Anyone have any secrets, tips, recommendations, touristy-must-sees? This is our first time out there. And probably our only, for the next 18 years or so.

To Do List

On the list for this week:

Chase's 1 year follow up with his surgeon.
Dentist appointment for me on Thursday.
Ian and I are starting an herb garden.
2nd to last meeting of my law class.
Going to see WICKED with Tiffany!!
Therapy, therapy, therapy, therapy.
Mulching the front yard.

And somewhere in there I'd like to dig out a garden bed in the backyard. Maybe.

OMG Moment.

Chase will be 1 in 2 1/2 weeks.

Lies, All Lies.

It was raining all. day. long. on Saturday.

So we caught Cici's pizza and a matinee showing of Horton Hears a Who (which was, by the way, totally cute. Even though I fell asleep for a teensy bit at the end...)

Then, since it was STILL raining after the show, we decided to drive through Bruster's Ice Cream. Hello? They advertise a free second scoop whenever it's raining or snowing at your time of order. Free stuff!

We pull up. We order. Bryan asks, just to be sure, about the free second scoop. The speaker gets quiet. The order girl comes back and says:

It's not raining hard enough.

Are you kidding me? Not hard enough?! Is there some kind of mathematical formula to determine it? Is there a certain number of drops per square inch? I mean, seriously, we had the wipers on. We had to run through puddles the parking lot. It's not raining HARD enough?

So, did I say something? Did I pick a fight? No, not worth the free extra scoop. I don't really need it, anyway. Maybe they were just trying to find a nice way to say, "Um, Ma'am? You don't really need the extra 500 calories in that scoop of birthday cake ice cream."

Hey, Big Eater!

Since my last Chase-is-a-picky-eater post, he has made leaps and bounds. He now:

*takes a bottle
*eats everything i put in front of him

This also means that he has stopped nursing, which I knew was coming...still, it's bittersweet. Although I am proud to say that I am now the owner of 2 boobs of relatively the same size :)

However, even though he is eating more solids, the reflux issue is still here. It's not all the time- in fact, it's a lot less than it was before. But I just got puked on, and it smells every bit like the jar of broccoli, carrots, and cheese that he had for lunch. I will not be serving that again any time soon.

New Song

Ian's not real big on singing traditional songs. But he let loose with this one today:

In the nostril
Impetigo...
Mashed up banana...
In the water...
And he nostrils come out again...
Come out again...
Rinse out the waterfall...
Yippee!

As seen at WalMart

A grandma...possibly great grandma? In heels, pantyhose, a polyester print dress in seafoam green...and a pink hoodie sweatshirt with the words "Flirt" plastered across the front.

Love it!

Easter

Full of jelly beans, uneaten hardboiled eggs, and that grass that gets everywhere.
Ian proudly displays his works of art.

Hey, Daddy! Guess what? The Easter Bunny left a trail of jelly beans from my room all the way downstairs and I'm going to eat them ALL RIGHT NOW!
The Hunt
Chase discovers the best part of Easter:
Um, WTH?! I didn't get one of those...
Holiday Basket Heads
The Actual Easter Bunny visited the culdesac for our annual egg hunt!
Ian and Leah, another year, another stash of jelly beans.

Tattoos

I've always wanted one. But this isn't about me.

We went out for pizza, (like, forever ago, and now I'm trying to remember cute things Ian says so I can come out of my blogging coma) and the guy that sat us had full sleeves.

After he left, Ian leaned over and asked me, "Why does that man have such messy arms?!"

The Results Are In:

I passed the FELE!

Woot.

MIA

I'm still here. Just in the midst of a drought.

I'll try to post some tomorrow.

Thanks for kicking my butt, Kacey.