Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Max starts preschool tomorrow and he could not be more excited! I'm hoping that all this excitement at being a "big kid" is the reason he has been acting so naughty lately.

Max pretty much refuses to accept that no means no. If he asks for something and you don't tell him he can have it or do it he is going to either A) Argue with you that he can, B) Throw a huge fit which includes screaming and crying and more then likely running at you and hitting you, or C) Do it anyway.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't list these easily and I certainly do not just stand aside and let him act this way. (Although I have been known to walk away from a fit, but for the record the experts recommend that.) The amount of incidents we've had over the last 2 weeks has been staggering. Today he pretty much spent a good chunk of the morning in his bedroom for timeouts and cool downs.

A great example of my newly independent little man: Max was put to bed at 7:30 last night. At 8:30 he yelled for me because he got his pants wet. I come upstairs and his face is covered in chocolate and Max shows me that he grabbed the chocolate chip zucchini bread and ate it. We're talking half a loaf people! (OK, really more like a one fourth in real sizes, it was a mini loaf, but seriously!) And to top it off, he actually did have a small accident in his pants, which never happens with Max. He was giggling and jumping all over the place while Dusty tried to help him change into dry clothes and I vacuumed up his bed and floor. (Oh, did I neglect to mention he ate all this bread in his bed?!)

The worst part is that Dusty and I could barely keep it together. I mean, we literally were hiding our faces in the kitchen because it was so random and so funny to find our son in the predicament he was in.

So tomorrow starts preschool, and I hope it also starts a new chapter that doesn't include a little boy that demands his independence but takes it in strides. Oh please, oh please, oh please let it work like that. Related? Be ready for my very first "First Day of School" post!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

This morning I woke the kids up and told them that we were going to the fair. I never breathed a word of it to them until this morning and man were they excited! They kept telling me about all the things that Grandma got them while she was at the fair and they were so excited about all the animals.

I am so thankful that both Auntie Andrea and Auntie Rosie were willing and able to come with us. Three adults to two toddlers is my highly recommended ratio for happiness at the fair. Along with a cooler day, an early morning, and the prediction of light rain - the crowds were not nearly as bad as they were when I went on Tuesday.

We arrived at 9 a.m. and Andrea spotted the flowering onion and had to have one. I'm sure many of you are not aware of this, but the blooming onion is the #1 worst food at the fair. So at 9 a.m. we set the bar high!


We went and saw all the animals. Max and Rory spent a lot of time petting them, side stepping and pointing very loudly at any piles of poop, and of course making the appropriate animal noises. They also stopped at the oink booth so they could get their free hats!


We also stopped and got the kids cowboy hats. They got to pick their own colors and watched the woman paint them right before their eyes. They looked so stinkin' cute and it was easy to find them in the crowds as they walked around in their bright colored hats. The kids were also stopped by a woman from the K102 booth and took a picture with her so maybe they'll end up on their website later? I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if that happens.


After a couple hours we were all getting pretty tired. Max had quite the breakdown while we got him a sandwich that led to 15 minutes of agony but eventually he calmed down so we could load the bus and head home. But not before I got a group picture!


Sadly, I'm still not filled up on the fair. I won't be going back again this year but that doesn't mean I don't want to! Next year I'm going to figure out a way to live at the fair for the 12 days. I love the Minnesota State Fair!

Monday, August 29, 2011

So this past weekend Dusty and I spent a lot of time working on the landscaping around the garage and worked on grading the back yard. This means our yard is currently sporting some awesome dirt spots. My children? They love dirt. So today was a fun day for them.


Yes, that is Rory and believe it or not she did all that damage in one hour of being outside. Although to be fair, Max was throwing dirt at her until he had a firm talking to. I mean, look at those feet, they look like black socks!


And Max wasn't clean either. He kept laying down in the dirt and would either make dirt angels or put his face to the ground and roll.


Yes, my kid rolls in the dirt for fun. I know, we are so country out here. Dusty finally found something for them to do that would keep them out of the dirt for a while, they got to help wash the skid steer.


I have a feeling it's going to be awfully dirty around her for a while.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I've been very fortunate that Dusty and I have been able to afford for me to stay home with the kids. It's been quite an adjustment and I think I've transitioned really well.What surprises me is how much the saying "but you're a stay at home Mom" still affects me.

Most everyone uses it as a joke, as a way to point out that I made a mistake or didn't do something that they felt I should have and followed up the statement with "but you're a stay at home Mom." At first it was easy to brush off that saying by pointing out that I was still adjusting to being home with my children.

On top of trying to raise my children in the fashion I so desire I'm expected to cook, clean, garden, transport, organize, and a slew of other things. Thankfully, I actually enjoy most of these things and chose to take them on, but I by no means have perfected any of them. And when I make a mistake, I'd rather just laugh it off. So when I hear, "but your a stay at home Mom" it's like pouring salt on a wound. I already hold myself to a high standard as a mother, a wife, and a homemaker; I don't need someone else's standards too.

This is where it becomes my issue. Because you see, I can't change how someone responds to me, I can only change how I react to that response. So I'm writing this as a form of therapy, as a reminder that I can't be everyone's ideal stay at home Mom. And hopefully I'll learn to be OK with that.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Suzanne and Rosemary were kind enough to watch Max and Rory for me yesterday so that Dusty and I could join my parents at the Minnesota State Fair. I went early so I could visit the booths that I knew Dusty and my dad wouldn't want to see and of course found some amazing products. Most of which I just browsed. I end up getting stuck watching the parade they had going on, but it was entertaining even if I was behind quite a crowd. Say hello to the fair mascot!


I stopped in the Miracle of Birth barn to find four different pigs in the process of giving birth. It was pretty disgusting, but also pretty neat. And in the end there was this adorable little piglet that you just wanted to take home and keep forever!


Oh, and we visited the big pig. I can't remember his name or how much he weighed, but I can tell you that he had some help on the scale with these testicles! Holy smokes.


Yes, I did just post a picture of the giant pig's giant balls. You never know what you're going to get over here. Although I do hope it makes you laugh.

And my most favorite part of the fair was when we stopped in another vendor area and came upon name stamps. Can you believe they had both Maxwell and Lorelei?!


So after 8 hours of walking at the fair I'm pretty exhausted today. Of course the Australian Potatoes, Cheese curds, Coconut Macarones (YUCK), Fried Ravioli, and numerous other snacks didn't help much either.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Just today alone:

  1. Rory pooped into one of the dance costumes we have and on the floor while trying to make it to the potty. I'm glad she's getting the idea of the big girl potty but I could have done without that mess.
  2. When Rory uses the big girl potty she gets to pick a piece of candy from our little bowl and Max also gets to in order to celebrate with her. He chose gum and chewed it happily for an hour. I told him to go spit it out as he was playing with it. A half hour later he is crying because he has gum all over his leg. After two peanut butter scrubs (thanks Lisa!) we still haven't removed it all.
  3. I have sorted and organized all our Mason jars for canning and have them in the kitchen as I used them yesterday and will be continuing to use them for the rest of the season. Max has a new bad habit that I call musical chairs, basically he gets up throughout his meal and changes seats. He isn't allowed to do this and is constantly testing us to see if we'll let him. Today he tried it and I yelled at him to get back into his chair. (I wish I could say I was calm but have you seen how my day is going?) He fell and landed on one of the boxes of Mason jars. Thankfully he didn't get hurt but I wish I could say that about some of the jars.
  4. And the cherry on top starts with my favorite time of day on a day like this, nap time, but instead of putting Rory to bed I stopped in my tracks in front of a blue and bleached spot in the middle of her carpet. I couldn't figure out what it was and cleaning it removed the blue but the carpet was bleached. I tucked her in and went to do the same for Max and was once again stopped in my tracks, but this time there are numerous spots and lines in his carpet. Max tells me all about how he got the toilet cleaner we brought home from the store yesterday and used it to clean his carpet and his truck. Sure enough, the truck is coated with it and confirms his story. So now the carpet in both their rooms has bleach spots and my blood pressure has gone way, way up.
Mama needs a break, but instead I'll be escorting Max and Dusty to Max's preschool open house today. I was really looking forward to this too, but now all I want to do is run and hide. Stupid bad day!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Today the kids and I stopped at the farm for a quick visit. During that time the kids got to help Jeff bottle feed the calves! And by help, I mean, we watched Jeff hold the bottles for the calves.


Max, who's sense of smell has become very sensitive, was having a hard time being downwind from all the poop. So he spent most of his time with his nose covered by his shirt.


And since the calves were pretty strong, there was no way Rory would be able to hold the bottles, but she sure had fun talking to them and attempting to kiss them. She finally coerced one into believing she had food in her hand and it gave her a big sloppy lick.


We had a lot of fun! Not only did we get to feed the calves, but Grandpa and Don also took the kids over to raid Auntie Cyd's raspberry bushes, they got to play on the tractors and 4 wheelers, and lets not forget Auntie Cyd's candy she has in the house. Max had to use the bathroom, the boy who loves to pee outside, headed inside to go potty. I should have known what he was up to. But at least he shared. Thanks Auntie Cyd for all the yummies that the kids were able to get into and Uncle Jeff and Grammy for yet another fun visit!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

I had such a great time with Becca and Holly on Thursday. We talked for four hours before we finally packed it up to head home. I realized we had not taken a picture together as we were leaving so we all huddled in the bathroom for a good old fashioned bathroom mirror picture. It felt like college all over again!


Friday morning we headed over to Lyla's house so we could spend the day with her and Nora. Lyla got her Power Wheel Cadillac, which was one of her birthday presents but unfortunately did not show up in time for her birthday party. It had just shown up in her garage Friday morning for her to ride and Katie and Andrew were excited for Max to come over and help her learn to drive it. Before we left that afternoon Lyla was getting it down really well!


After leaving Katie and Andrew's I brought the kids to Auntie TaTa's apartment where they had a sleepover! They watched movies, ate popcorn, stayed up late, went swimming; the list goes on and on. Auntie TaTa kept them until late in the day today which was awesome because I was busy staining the kid's play set. Here's a picture of it before. (I had already sanded and power washed it, and obviously removed all the swings and tarp.)


I worked on it all day. Dusty kept bringing me water since I didn't even stop to eat and when it was obvious I was not going to get it all done by myself today Dusty even stepped in for an hour or so to help me. (He was wiring the garage so it isn't like he was just sitting there watching me or anything.) Let me tell you, it's a new play set, I'm so glad we finally got a chance to do it, take a look!


Tomorrow is yet another busy day but I'm very happy because we'll be driving around collecting machinery from kind friends and family that will lend them to us so we can start grading the yard to accommodate the garage. It's going to be a hard working week but I just know it's all going to turn out awesome when it is done!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The last two days have been nice. We squeezed in a visit to the "big" library, as the kids like to call it and were able to do their last story hour until October. The garden has needed a lot of attention as everything is ready to be picked. Well, except for the onions which the kids continue to pick although it gets them kicked out of the garden every. single. time. And we're still working on moving various plants and rock as we'll need to regrade a portion of the backyard to accommodate the new garage and rain water runoff. So please excuse the slump in posts.

Tonight? I get to have a girls night with Becca and her old college roommate (and my dorm neighbor), Holly. Whom we haven't seen since her wedding in 2004 right before she jetted off to Virginia. I am so excited I cannot contain myself today and have been more productive today then I have been all week. It's just one of those happy days. The kids are picking up on my excitement too and it's making them a little crazy and a little more daring. "Shu up" has been tossed around a lot today. (Please let this phase end soon, I am so burnt out on it. Of course, once it's gone, or she learns to add the -t to shu up, I'll mourn the loss and you'll all laugh at me and remind me of my pleas.) So if you're missing pictures of my cute kids, cause lord knows I put enough up here, just go back and reminisce or wait until next week. 'Cause I'm sure I'll have lots more come next week.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Today was a beach day. Mind you, I wasn't going in past my knees because the beach we go to is actually a river so the water is quite a bit cooler then a lake would be, but the kids don't seem to mind. And the best part? It's almost always deserted when we go there! No fighting to keep my eyes on both kids, no other kids to worry that my children are splashing or throwing sand at. (Not that I permit that, but it still happens.) It's just peaceful.


Oh, and my dirt eater has branched out apparently.


I don't even want to know how much she may have actually ingested, yuck! (Yes, her eye is still slightly swollen but as you can see it is much better.)

Monday, August 15, 2011

Saturday we celebrated Miss Lyla's 3rd birthday. It was a great time and Lyla was gracious enough to put up with her two cousins that were just as excited as she was for her birthday.


Naturally Katie and Andrew got a cake that would leave some awesome mustaches for the girls!



She got some great presents, and since I was so proud of my ingenious idea I had to take a picture of how cute our present to Lyla was. You know she knew exactly who that one came from before opening it!


Afterwards she played a little dress up with the tutu and jewelry that she had received.


Afterwards we all hung around and played in the yard and then had a bonfire. The kids stayed up until after 10 o'clock which is when we finally left. Of course, every late night leads to crabby kids the next morning, but Rory had an even bigger reason to be crabby.


It appears something bit her eye as she keeps itching it. Her eye is slowly coming down from the swelling, thankfully and I was finally able to get my hands on a antihistamine this morning so that should help.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Friday the kids and I joined up with Kristen, John, Jackson and Tyler at the Como Zoo for some fun. Naturally we didn't get to talk much as four kids under 5 are hard to keep your eyes on, especially when they run in different directions, but we could at least catch up on some of the basics and have an in-person conversation, which is a big deal. The kids, as always, were adorable and very willing to pose for us.


We even were able to enjoy the Sparky show as we fed the kids their lunch during it so there were no temptations to get up and walk around.


And the kids had a great time checking out the animals...


even if Rory insists on sticking her mouth and tongue on everything still. I'm sure she'll be sick in a few days but what can you do?


As always, I wish we lived closer so we could hangout more but I'm very happy for the opportunities we do have to see Kristen and the boys. I mean, not everyone is still friends with their elementary school neighbor and best friend so it is special just to see them as much as we do.

Friday, August 12, 2011

After spending my evening playing catch with my 3 year old I figured it was time I wrote another fun post with some stories and funny moments, all compliments of Max and Rory.

To start, Rory's new phase is to say "shu up" whenever she is upset. I mean, she uses it in context completely and while we do try to ignore the problem, having her brother point it out every single time does not really count as ignoring it. Not to mention Max is confused why we ignore her but punish him if he tries it. Oh, and there is also that small problem that Rory will sometimes try to get your attention by using other bad words so you may hear the occasional "stoopid" or "damn it". I'm such a lucky Mom!

As I mentioned in my opening, I played catch with Max for a good half hour yesterday. He is really getting into sports and loves to run all over claiming he beat you, or begging you to chase him. He loves to swing at the baseball with his bat, but not off his baseball tee, it absolutely has to be thrown to him. And he's becoming very talented at hitting and catching the ball. Of course, we aren't playing real baseball and make it as easy as possible for him, but he never fails to impress anyone that is watching him.

Rory is starting to use action verbs but her -ing's are pronounced more like "in" or "y" which has lead to some really cute episodes. She is quite the Mama's girl and every night tell Dusty, "Daddy, no tucky me in." Or when Erica was here she tickled Rory's belly and when she stopped Rory would say "Getin' my belly" which had us laughing so hard. Who would have thought she'd have an Austin Power's movie line down without some coaching first?

Speaking of movie lines, Max has been dropping movie lines lately. The other day he told me, "You can call me Flower if you want to." Which is from Bambi. And he also loves to say "No you can't fly!" and will wait for me to counter back "Yes, I can!" which is from Toy Story (or Buzz Lightyear as Max calls it). It always makes me giggle when the movie lines come out, he's turning out to be just like his uncles. (Thankfully he won't understand most of their movie lines for many, many years.)

Rory usually goes to bed very easily for us, but occasionally she has a rough time. Sometimes this is easily remedied by me kissing all her animals and dolls goodnight and tucking them in with her in her crib. Other times she's just stalling and asking to kiss everyone again. Usually it's "I kissy Maxwell goo night. I kissy Daddy goo night." And for me? She insists on "kissy you cheek" and then when that one is kissed she insists on "kissy two cheek" and then usually we need another one on the lips for good measure. I know, it isn't good to let her stall her bedtime but how long will this last? I need to milk it out for all it's worth!

Lastly, Max has taken to not only becoming my helper but also my cheerleader. He's been known to tell me "Don't worry mom, I'll take care of everything." Or, "You're a good Mom." And my favorite, "I love you a lot." It doesn't get much better then that people!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

After the tractor pulls the kids and I kissed Daddy goodbye and headed up to Grammy's cabin for a few days. We got to vacation with Grammy, Auntie Rosie, Auntie Katie and cousins Lyla and Nora. Naturally the kids had a ton of fun!

The kids got lots of cuddle time with Grammy!


And the all perfected their high dives.




Auntie Rosie even got to show off her mad fish removing skills.


Oh wait, she and Max couldn't get it so Mommy put down the camera and saved the day. Yes, I do need a superhero cape, thanks for volunteering to get me one!

It was a nice break from our usual summer days and the kids have been sleeping like champs since we returned thanks to all their enthusiasm while we were there.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Dusty and I were finally able to take the kids to a tractor pull. We had talked about wanting to do this all summer but every one that came up was scheduled during something we already had going on or the weather didn't cooperate. So we were pretty excited to watch the tractor pulls at the county fair.


Of course, this tractor pull ended up being at noon which means Rory was going on day two of skipping her nap, so she spent most of her time lying down.


Max on the other hand, enjoyed himself completely. He was very into clapping after each tractor pulled and his eyes were so big as he took everything in.


It was a really fun time and hopefully next time we can stay for more of the show. (We left within the hour as Rory was just not going to make it.) At least it gives them something to talk about for a while. And I also got this cute picture of Daddy and his babies.


I know, I swoon too.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

This past Saturday Dusty and I participated in his family's golf tournament. And by participated, I mean I drove around and took pictures, because you know I don't have the patience to hit a tiny little ball into 18 tiny little holes, right?!

It was lots of fun as Nathan and I just cruised around talking with everyone while I made sure to get a picture of each group. Here's my hubby and his team along with Nathan.


I took a lot of pictures and since I wanted them to be available to everyone I made a group listing at Photobucket, so you can check out all the pictures I took and hopefully even more as pictures get added by others by going here, http://photobucket.com/YoungGolfTournament2011.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Today we are sticking around home and catching up on some much needed sleep. So to keep things entertaining I dug out our other pool for the kids to go sliding. Max took to it like a champ.


He was flying down the slide in no time, laughing and running to do it some more!


Rory needed help getting down the slide, but I couldn't help her if I was going to get at least one picture of her sliding so I asked Max to help. Rory was not happy, and I got this awesome picture to prove how unhappy she was with Max's help!


What's even more awesome is that when she was done she stood up and half yelled, half cried out "Cheese" to me because I was still standing there with my camera. If only I would have had it on video instead so you could have heard her depressed "cheese".


I may have a picture taking problem, I may....

Thursday, August 4, 2011

This week has been crazy busy what with a waterpark visit with Auntie, making dinner for our friends as we visited with Stacey and Steve who were in town from Boston and today was the fair! I only have fair pictures though, but I promise you they are cute.

First, our group. We had 4 strollers between us all. The babies, left to right are Nora, Kinley and Jane.


The big kids, left to right are Rory, Lyla and Max.


We got to pet the animals at the FFA Barn, which is always a big hit with the kids. Max and Lyla really liked feeling the feathers on this chicken.


We watched the pig judging. One of the pigs would not cooperate and we were so mean and laughed as this guy struggled with his pig and trying to get it to go back into the barn.


Except for Lyla. She was slightly scared of those pigs and all the action that was going on.


Molly was kind enough to help me take the kids for a pony ride as they both wanted to go and there was only one of me. Rory was hilarious, we put her on the pony and she starts jumping and yells "Giddy up! Giddy up! Yee haw!" She did this numerous times much to the enjoyment of the other parents around.


Lastly, we found a booth that let you take pictures with some of your favorite celebrities. I think you'll agree with all of our choices. Especially Reb's, which I love.





It was a great day to be at the fair and there were a lot of activities to keep the kids entertained but I sure am exhausted and looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow.