New School Year

Wow!  What a busy couple of weeks.  It's been a more stressful transition that I thought it would be from the front office into the classroom.  I think the major cause of my stress is having a family while trying to figure out something new at work.  Last time I changed jobs, I had been married for 2 years, but didn't have any kids yet...boy do kids change things!  We've also been trying to fit in some fun trips to make up for a pretty boring summer.  We've had some fun times and have gotten some good photos, so hopefully those will be posted soon!

The first day of school was Tuesday, September 6.  Part of my moving into the classroom was actually changing schools.  So not only did poor C have to change classrooms, but he had to change schools as well!  (Technically, he didn't have to change schools, but seriously, what's the point of working in a school if your kid isn't with you!)  And since the school we moved to is brand new, there are not many kids in either of our classrooms yet...so lots of changes for little C!

I got a few pictures of C going to school, but the quality isn't the best.  We have to leave by 7am in order to get to school on time, and since it was rainy out, it was still pretty dark.  Also, I used our little camera because I didn't want to take the "good" camera out in the rain!  Anyway, that's a long winded way of saying, excuse the poor quality!

C was so excited to go to school when we woke up that morning.  However, as we got closer to the school he kept saying he was scared and was going to cry.  (While I appreciated the warning, it made me very sad!)  True to his word, we got to school and he pouted the whole way in, and then cried for a little while in the classroom.  One curse of working at your kids school?  Hearing them cry!  I cannot even begin to describe how it felt to hear him crying and not being able to go into the room and just grab him up...

He keeps saying he's "scared" when we talk about school.  Hubby and I think that he has a nervous feeling in his tummy, and that's the only word he knows.  I did ask if he could be nervous instead of  scared, and he said "No, I scared.  Like when I no go bowling alley."  I had to try really hard not to laugh at that one.  Also, when you ask him why he cried, he responds "I miss mommy" in this little high pitched voice and the saddest look on his face.  (I will admit I tried to get video, but he was just being silly and started jumping around the room, stinker!)

I got a picture similar to this one last year, and loved it!  Since we get to school to early, C is the only student walking the halls.

The second day of school was better.  When we got to the school C informed me he was going to cry, so when we got to the room and he started to smile, he looked at me and started to fake cry...all the way into the room!  Little stinker...

I almost forgot!  His backpack?  He LOVES it!  The only thing he requested for the new school year was a "Hop, Hop, Ouch" backpack.  Heehee...I love that that's what he calls Mario!

First Snow

We had our first snow!  I LOVE snow!  When C woke up this morning, I opened the blinds and told him to watch for snow.  He promptly stood on the couch and looked out the window, it was very cute!  When it started to snow, I pointed it out to C (he had stopped looking at this point) and he got so excited.  He started yelling "I dee dow!  I dee dow!"  (translation.."I see snow!  I see snow!")  He then gave me my phone and said "Daddy, I dee dow!"  He wanted to call Hubby and tell him, so of course we did.  I announced to C and N that we were having a pajama day, and we did not have to get out of our pj's all day!  I wasn't sure if C really understood, but he got very excited and started running around yelling "Dow!  Dow!" 

Right before nap, I decided to be brave and take the boys out for a few min, figuring maybe it would help C take a nice nap (sneaky, I know!)  I guess C did understand pajama day because when I told him it was time to get ready to outside, he refused to take him pj's off...so, sweat pants and coat went on over his pj's!  He had a great time.  We only stayed out for a couple minutes because I forgot the blanket to put over N's face to help keep the snow off...oops! 

I love winter, and cannot wait for more snow!  (Especially when I go back to work and it means a snow day!)

Hope everyone else was able to enjoy a fun snow day!  Maybe next time we will attempt a little project, any ideas?

Happy Halloween (really late)!

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween weekend!  Since everyone loves to see kids in costume...here you go!

Our little pilot! 

We couldn't decide what pilot he was exactly.  We thought about Tom Cruise in Top Gun, but he didn't wear a scarf, and loved the look of the scarf on C.  So we went with generic "pilot."  We did try to spike his hair a little, but his hair was too long since he needs a hair cut (hint, hint, Auntie S!)  

We had fun trick or treating.  We only went to 3 houses, but C had fun!  We went to both sets of grandparents and his local great-grandparents.  Too much candy!!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and fun on Halloween!!! 

Apple Picking

Earlier in the month we went apple picking with C's class and his teacher.  We went to a local orchard and had so much fun.  We didn't leave with many apples, but I think the experience was fun and important for C...maybe a new family tradition!

Here are a few pics...

There was a little girl hanging out who had a pet lamb!  The lamb was very cute and C loved her!

 The lamb kept trying to eat his pockets, C thought she was "so silly." 

I just really like this picture.

Leading the way!

Not about C...but look at that belly!  And that was 4 weeks ago!!

The best apples are the ones right out of reach!

The true sign of how successful an outing is...asleep before we even got out of the parking lot!



Cookies!!!

C and I had a great time a couple weekends ago making cookies.  This was our first big cooking project together. 

We measured...

 and stirred...

 showed off our batter...

scooped...

and baked!!!

Most importantly, we enjoyed!!

 

We made Soft Pumpkin Cookies.  I got the recipe off an allergy email I received.  We used egg replacer instead of eggs, and you couldn't even tell!  The best part is that the recipe told how to make the cookies gluten free and free of other allergens! 

I think C had a good time baking and can't wait to do it again!

Weekend Recap

Wow!  What a busy, emotional weekend.  Saturday, Hubby and I went to the Virginia Tech game.  I picked this game because it was supposed to be relaxing and easy on me, meaning I should have been able to just sit and relax after the first quarter...yeah, that did not happen.  It was pouring rain and, well, let's just say the team had some issues.  Yes, we lost, and all I'm going to say about it is it sucked.  We had a lot of fun before the game hanging out with family. 

Hubby and I before the game!  Excuse the lack of make up :)

We woke up at 6am to drive 4 hours and then left right after the game, soaking wet to drive another 4!

Sunday was spent relaxing and trying to get over the game Saturday.  A very lazy day until 3:00.  There was a back to school picnic at school.  C had a great time showing Hubby his cubby (but didn't want to go near his classroom!) and playing.  They had a bouncy slide that Hubby took him on, not once, but twice, and a smaller bounce house that C did not want to leave.  We were supposed to have a carousel as well, but the one they delivered was broken, so it turned into what I called the "Photo Op Carousel" and a co-worker called a "Statue of a Carousel."  We all had a lot of fun! 

Pointing out his cubby, also known as where his hat goes :)

Fun in the bounce house!

C and Hubby waiting for the first slide.

Weeeeeeee!!!!

C going down the slide by himself!

So much fun! 

Almost forgot about Firefighter C!

Cheese!

So happy, I love that smile!

And of course, we can't forget how our weekend ended...with a Redskins win against the Cowboys!  Hope everyone had a great weekend and has a wonderful week!

Illness, Preschool, Nails, Eyebrows and Stuff

I feel like it's be forever since I've written!  You should really thank me though, I have been moody!  Poor C is feeling better, but he's still not sleeping well.  Which means that I have not been sleeping well.  Totally not Hubby's fault, he tried to help, but C has decided he is totally in love with his Mama (yes, he will now call Mama, just not to my face, currently I am "That" to my face.)  I love my little guy being in love with me, but really?  It gets old when you are the only one that can get up with him 500 times during the night, the only one who can talk him down from a crying fit, the only one that can cuddle with him when a million things need to get done around the house...you get the point.  Anyway, C only wanting me in the middle of the night means that I am getting little sleep (I am hoping his good sleeping habits come back soon!) and leave me moody during the day.  I cannot even nap if he is awake because he wants to watch TV and play on the bed while I nap. 

C is feeling much, much better.  A little over a year ago we had tubes put in his ears, and he has not had a hint of an ear infection.  However, he did have a small infection in both his ears with this last illness :(  The doctor said one tube has already fallen out, and the other looks like it will soon.  So now, we are on ear infection watch.  If he starts to get them often enough, back to the ENT for more tubes.  Poor guy.  Hopefully it won't be a problem, but I'm not holding out too much since he has already had a slight double ear infection and they aren't even completely out yet...come on ears, prove me wrong!

Anyways....we decided to put C in preschool! Previously I have mentioned that I was nervous about sending him to school, even the one I work at. But, the director gave us an offer we could not refuse, so off to school he goes. We are very excited! He will still be with my mom 2 days a week until I go back to work after my maternity leave, but I know she's sad and he will miss her. But, Hubby and I both think he will benefit so much from being with non-family members and around other kids. I am still nervous about sending him to school, but his teacher is actually a good friend of mine and that helps, plus because of so many allergies in the school, we will be completely peanut and tree nut free! Previously, the director has allowed staff to have this stuff in the staff room...not ideal at all. Even though nuts are not his "big" allergy, egg is, I am feeling pretty comfortable. Anyone have a good egg, peanut and tree nut free recipe for cupcakes or brownies that freeze well??


My mother-in-law treated me and my sister-in-law to pedicures and eyebrow waxes over the weekend! I have not had a pedicure in so long! In an attempt to save money, I stopped going (granted, I was only getting them done every couple of months.) I cannot express how good it felt! Someone else rubbing me feet (Hubby does a great job, but usually gets distracted, totally not complaining though!) and calf's, putting lotion on them (my toes are no longer dry from wearing sandals all summer!) and then the hot towel at the end? Oh my goodness, talk about a little bit of Heaven! I wanted to try the shade of polish that Becky suggested, but they didn't have it, so I ended up going with the same as my in laws...and if you know them, you will not be surprised at all of the color choice...

Yes, Virginia Tech Hokie colors! I cannot remember the name of the shade off the top of my head, but it is bright orange! I even got a VT tattoo put on my big toes, cute huh?

My poor eyebrows though...I loved my eyebrows. They have a nice natural arch to them, and really only need to be touched up, which is great for me! The nail place had a new eyebrow person. When I went in, I made sure to point out that I only wanted I touch up, I do not want thin eyebrows. She said okay, and complimented the nice natural arch of my eyebrows. So, I'm laying there and she waxes, and I cry a little because it HURTS!!! And then she starts to pluck (okay, this is normal) and pluck and pluck and pluck and waxes again (?) and plucks...at this point I start to get a little worried...but really what can I say? Please stop so my eyebrows are completely uneven and only half finished. So she finishes and says...are you ready...she says "I went ahead and made them thin because your eyebrows are so close to your eyes." WHAT!!!!!! I reminder her that I didn't want thin eyebrows, but apparently she knows much better than me, and even said that it's trendy now to have thin eyebrows. I looked in the mirror and wanted to cry. Yes, they looked great, yes, I could see what she meant about them being close to my eyes...but A. I am too lazy busy to maintain thin eyebrows, and B. I am too cheap to upkeep thin eyebrows! I even responded to her "Thin eyebrows are trendy right now." I said "I don't care about trend, do I look trendy?" Her response?? This really made me angry..."Well, they will grow back." AAAAHHHHHHH!!!! If someone else hadn't been paying and I was trying not to make a scene...I try really really hard not to make scenes in front of my in-laws (my family has no problems with creating scenes, in fact, I think we seeks them out)... I would have said something to the owner and left no tip...bitchy? Maybe, but I just wanted to cry and couldn't believe that instead of saying sorry or anything even hinting that she heard me, she said THEY WOULD GROW BACK!!!

Like I said, they don't look bad, but for someone who didn't want thin eyebrows, they are way too thin!!!

And sorry about the bad pic...it's about 10:30 at night and no make up!

Okay, sorry...moodiness, I told you, it comes out of nowhere sometimes! Seriously though, my eyebrows do look nice...but I HATE maintenance...I'm lucky if I put make up on twice a week! And now when they do start to grow back I even have to MAINTAIN them, or let them look all hairy for a while until they fill back in again...and who can guarantee that they will fill in the same again!!!

Man, this was a really long post. If you read all of it, you deserve a prize. Thanks for reading and letting me complain and be excited! I am so excited about C starting school! I will be sure to post pictures and let you know how his first day goes! Hope everyone has a great day. And Go Hokies!

Mommy Guilt

Mommy guilt got me bad yesterday.  As I had to leave my sick little boy at my moms house while I went to work.  I was mad, I was angry, I was frustrated, I was sad.  I've never had to leave him when he wasn't feeling well before.  I work in the office of a school, and school starts next week...so really this is a the worse week ever for C to get sick.  Luckily, I have a great boss who understands needing to take the little guy to the doctors, but there is so much to do that I just cannot take the day off.  (Obviously, if there was a big emergency, or C was even sicker, I would work something out and stay home.) 

Leaving a crying child behind is hard enough, C doesn't cry often when we leave him with our parents, but he does sometimes and it's not easy.  However, leaving a child who just wants to cuddle because he's not feeling well, and you're leaving to go to WORK...just SUCKS!!!!  I couldn't imagine anything that felt worse yesterday.  Of course, I know that we are so very lucky to have what we do, there are people who are so much worse off than we are...but that thought was not helping at all yesterday.  But, mommy guilt, not a nice thing at all!

Luckily today, Hubby is able to stay home and take C to the doctors...again.  At his check up yesterday his oxygen levels were still not the best, but they did respond to his treatment.  The doctor kept mentioning he might need to go be monitored at the ER if his oxygen levels didn't get better.  He's also not able to make it the 4 hours between treatments without going into distress (meaning his body is relying on the treatment to help him breath, not using it a tool to get better.)  He started yet another med yesterday, an allergy medicine this time to try to knock out the congestion to see if that helps.  So now is on 3 oral medications and his breathing treatment. 

I hate giving him so many meds.  How could a good mom let her child get to the level of needing so many meds???  One of which is a steroid and another is helping him breath.  I know, logically, that there was nothing we could do to prevent this.  When kids get sick, they get sick fast and big.  But, mommy guilt is not a nice thing at all!

So, today should be a full day at work getting things done around the office that have been pushed aside while Hubby stays home and helps C feel better.  Hubby is a WONDERFUL father.  I could not have asked for a better partner.  But, I can't help but be angry that I have to go to work.  I can't help but feel jealous that Hubby is able to take a full day off while I was only able to take a couple hours.  I can't help but feel upset that I feel this way. 

Mommy Guilt....not a nice thing at all...

Weekend Recap!

What a great weekend!  I hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend filled with friends and family.  On Saturday, I went to another book club meeting.  This time we discussed The Last Child by John Hart.  It was a great book!  There were 6 of us at the meeting who had read the book, and we all agreed it was fantastic.  Sure, it had some parts that we all could have done without, but it was written very well and provided lots of thought and discussion.  I highly recommended it!

Saturday night, we went out to eat with Hubby's family to a wing place.  To say I was excited to be eating wings is an understatement.  Someone at work mentioned wings at work last week, and ever since, I have HAD to have them!  Yummmm...wings :)

Sunday was all about C and Hubby (and Copper too!)  We had a relaxing day at home.  I did feel bad for C though.  At one point Hubby and I thought C really needed to get some energy out, so we got C dressed, sunscreen on and ready to go....only to realize once Hubby and C got to the door that it had started raining!  Oh no!  Since it was a calm rain, Hubby decided to take C on a walk in the rain.  So they grabbed an umbrella and off they went!  It was such a relaxing family day.  I hope to have more in the future!!

Crazy Mushrooms growing outside our building!

Things that make me smile...

I've been having one of those weeks.  You know the kind...everything seems to be working against you, you're always tired, and people just get on your nerves!  I realized I was in this mood, and was thinking about what brings me out of it. 

Here are a few things that make me smile...

• C waking up in the morning.  He really is the best at waking up with a big smile and long snuggle.
• Baby Elmo-my mom has a baby Elmo from when my younger sister was little, and C has discovered it.  He loves walking around with him, huging him, and whispering to him.  So sweet!
• Hubby coming home with a bag of Pretzel M&M's!
• Walking in the door at the end of a rough day, and having C run up to me with his arms out and a huge smile (usually he ends up turning around and running away before he reaches me, in case I try to pick him up, but still makes me smile!)
• Watching C and Hubby together. 
• Feeling the baby kick and know that soon he will be here.
• Knowing that I can come home after a rough day at work to my guys and they will take care of me.
• Snuggling on the couch (with either C or Hubby) and watching a movie.

These are just a few things.  They might not be big, but they help me see the light through my bad mood.  I have another ultrasound this afternoon to check on the baby.  He is moving like crazy these days, and I am so excited to see him!

Randomness

It's Monday....I'm not a huge fan of Monday mornings.  But, today will be a good day!  And I will not fall asleep at work....I hope :)

We had a busy weekend traveling to Mema's house again.  C had a blast and kept everyone on their feet.  Lots of running, soccer, bowling and snacks.  Gotta love Memas!

We started potty training last week.  We're following my moms lead since she's with C most during the day.  Most of my mommy friends are doing the 3-day potty training technique, my mom prefers a more child led approach, which I am all for.  So, C wears underwear, we remind him to sit every 45 min or so, and if he goes great...if not, he gets a new pair of underwear when needed.  Since this is my blog, and I can brag if I want to...last Thursday, C went pee and poop on the potty!  Twice!  That's right, my toddlers a genius at the potty.  However, he was home with daddy on Friday, so he didn't wear any underwear (too many errands to run) and we didn't do the underwear thing at Mema's this weekend...oops.  Also, I might have used a little bribe with my iPhone.  C loves to play games on it, and since I KNEW he had to go, I let him have the phone when he asked to play a game...mommy fail...but he went pee and poopy on the potty, twice! 

My dog stayed the weekend at my parents house while we went to Mema's, I opened his crate this morning at 5:20, and he has yet to come out, it's 6:15.  Tired little puppy!

Hubby took this picture a couple months ago.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!! 

Happy Friday!

I was looking through pictures last night, and found these.  They made me laugh...

Yes, that is underwear on the OUTSIDE of his pants!

What??  Not one pair, but two!?!

Happy Friday!

Big Boy Bed!

It's been a month since we had a big chagne in the house...C moved to a big boy bed! Hubby and I were all ready for a tough transition. We heard all kinds of stories from other parents about when they moved their kid to a big boy bed. Screaming, refusing to stay in the bed, falling asleep at the door, total meltdowns at bedtimes. However, we were hopeful that since C is such an easy going kid (most of the time) the transition would be easier...and C did not disappoint! He moved to the bed like a champ!


The main thing we did to help ease the transition was go on a family trip to the local Wal-Mart to look at the bedding options. Hubby and I were still looking at the selection when C yells “Yeah!” and starts pointing to the Elmo bedding. I had said that I didn't want Elmo bedding, but it was not for me, so what could I do? We tried showing C some other bedding options, but nope, only Elmo made him beam with happiness. He held onto that bag of bedding for the rest of the trip like his little life depended on it!

So, I think along with his personality, the ownership of having picked out his own bedding (he had been using the same sheets since he was born!) helped with the transition. He loves his bed!

The morning after his first night!  (Taken with my phone, sorry about quality.)

I was able to sneak in and take a picture.

Or not, he's peaking out of one little open eye!

I LOVE my big boy bed!

Note: We are now a month into the big boy bed and C has figured out he can leave the bed all on his own! The last couple of nights have led to him sleeping on the floor by his door! Oh well...maybe he'll start sleeping in his bed again some day :)