Curls no more!

Well, I have been horrible about blogging these last few weeks, and it ain't gonna get much better. Things are a little crazy these next 2 weeks as we are working hard and preparing for a much needed relaxing trip to California for Thanksgiving. Tyler is eagerly counting the days until we arrive at the "ranch" and he gets to see his Grandma, Grandpa and horse. Dan is also eagerly awaiting the down time to be had. Once we get back we will be in the final countdown to graduation! I am not sure who is more excited for the end, him or me! Not that it is going to get much better with the bar and starting a new job in front of us. But, hey, we can hope!

Ok, so quick story...

Tyler is forever asking me why he has to have curls. Every morning when it is time to brush his hair our conversation goes a little like this...

Tyler: Uhhh, mom! Why do I have to have so many curls?

Me: Well Tyler, that is how God made you.

Tyler: But momma, curls are for girls. I don't want my hair to be curly!

Me: I really like you curls though.

Tyler: I want them off! I want my hair to be flat, not big.

So after weeks on end of this conversation off we went to the hair dresser to cut off his curls. Well, unless I shaved his head there was no way of getting all the curls off and we weren't doing that. So somehow I convinced him that they were gone with a bit of a trim. Leave it to my mom to comment on his cool new hair cut and his cute curls. Ugh, here we go again.

Baby Will, as we like to call him

Today Alex and I got to meet baby William. Little did Alex know that in the years to come these two are going to be great buds. For now he was plenty happy to use his size as an advantage and literally pick on Will. He definitely was not fond of the idea of his mommy not only holding, but also feeding baby Will. I am so excited to have a close friend with a little one close to Alex. We are already planning all of the mommy dates we are going to go on. First stop... Bellevue square! Of course baby Will will stay under wraps until the flu season passes being a premie.

I can't wait Kathryn. Welcome to the world of mommyhood, your little one is just delicious!

We love to swing!

My favorite time of year...

Growing up!

In my shock and dismay over how fast Alexander is growing up I have quite ignored the fact that at the same time my big boy is getting even bigger! Until this morning that is. Dan is drilling this weekend in Spokane and so, once again, it is just the boys and I. Last night was a rough one. It seems that our perfect, sleeping through the night baby is no more. It was decided last week that I would use Dan's absence as a sleep training night (since Dan cannot fathom the idea of letting Alex cry at night). Well, so much for best laid plans. Alex, in true fashion woke up at 0200. I, however, put my foot down and decided not to go in there. Well, an hour and 15 minutes later I gave in and quietly went in to replace the "plug" as I now like to call it. He went back to sleep with only a few whines. Not more than 15 minutes later I am awaken by my big boy in tears because his legs hurt (growing pains!). I got up, got him Tylenol and tucked him in. I crawled back in bed glancing at the clock and thinking to myself, ah, SLEEP! Not more than 20 minutes later Alex decides that sleep in completely over rated. And here we go again. I promptly placed Dan's earplug in my ears and pulled the sheets up over my head. I WAS NOT GOING IN THERE! I drifted in and out of what you may call sleep all the while listening to my little one scream to get my attention. Another hour and 15 minutes later it is now 0600 and I was done. I marched in there, picked him up and fed him knowing that this would buy me at least an hour of sleep until Tyler got up for the day.

This brings me to the point of my whole story. Tyler, being the big boy that he is, woke up and came in to get me. I asked him if he would please turn on the TV, watch some cartoons and let mommy get just a little more sleep. Well, he did just that and more. About 45 minutes later he came in and asked why he couldn't find George on channel 9. I informed him that it was sunday and George was not on. That's when he looked at me and said "okay, I am going to eat my cereal now that." Now, me having gotten very little sleep didn't think much of this. But when I finally got up headed out to the living room Tyler informed me that he had made him self a bowl of cereal. I went into the kitchen expecting to find a complete mess. Nope, not Tyler. He had indeed made him self a bowl of cereal (with milk!), put the cereal box away, put the milk away and even cleared his place when he was done! Well, it's good to know that some of the things we are teaching him stick! My baby is no longer a baby! And to top that I am off to fill out his applications to Kindergarten... Kindergarten!

6 months

To my Bugabee,

Today you are 6 months old. It seems like yesterday that you were this small. You continue to be the light of our lives and your big brother loves you to pieces. You are 15 pounds and 26 inches long! You are such a happy baby, unless you are ready to eat. You love to laugh, are learning to sit up, roll from your back to your tummy and you have 2 teeth. Your favorite foods these days are… everything we have tried so far, even prunes! Even though you are big into your solids you are still loving to nurse also. Everything that you can get your hands on goes straight to your mouth!

You love your binky and blankie, you sleep through the night (most of the time) and you take 3 naps a day. You love to be on the go and get fussy when we are cooped up in the house too long. Your favorite toy right now is your exersaucer, although you would much prefer to be held. You hate to be left alone and love to be the center of attention. You are a very social baby and will strike up a “conversation” with anyone that will listen.

Every morning you wake us with your happy coos and when we walk in the room your smiles shine light on our day. You are an amazing little baby and we couldn't have asked for anything better.

You are you, Alex, and that is why WE LOVE YOU!

Just plain mean...

... but funny nonetheless!

My bestie had a baby!

I am so happy to announce that, finally, one of my high school friends has joined the mommy world. Kathryn and Jon welcomed baby William into the world on Halloween. He was a 5 weeks early, yet tipped the scales at 6 lbs 4 oz! I can't wait until he graduates from the NICU so I can snuggle the little one. Alex is so excited to have a buddy so close to him. I can only imagine the trouble that there two are going to get into!

Love you Kathryn and Jon!

Halloween 2009

Daddy was on his own this Halloween while I was hard at work. There was no house left unvisited with these two. I am not sure who was more excited, Dan or Tyler. The boys started out with a little treat seeking at the University Village with the Bennett family. The fun continued onto 35th Ave NE where Dan and Nick got a glimpse of the years to come. Them with their beer in coffee mugs while the kids are racing from door to door. Last, but not lease Windermere. I got to join in for a few houses with Tyler, Migel and Karsten (all Batmen) before we called it quits. Tyler ended the night with a bag so heavy he refused to carry it. That is when you know there is way too much candy. No worries though, I have outsmarted him. We have begun the buy back program. I give him $0.10 for each piece of candy and he gets to use the money to buy a toy. Works like a charm!

Confessions!

Okay, so I have to come clean... much to my husband's dismay, I am a reality junkie. Give me some of this or this am I am one happy girl. Dan has asked me what I find so intriguing about reading about other people's dirt and I am not quite sure. Maybe it is that it makes me feel a little more normal or a little more sane knowing that there is someone out there that is stupid enough to date a guy that dumped you and proposed to someone else only to come crying back to you. Or maybe it makes my life seem so much brighter knowing that I am never going to have to deal with a husband that leaves me with 8 children while he galavants around the county with a 22 year old hussy. No, I will never be there. No matter how bad my life may feel at this moment, I will never be there. Maybe this is horrible to use someone else's mishaps to make me feel better about my life but right now I am going to go with it. Tomorrow I will pray for them to find healing in their tragedy, but today I need it.