Snowpocalypse 2010

Eric & Evan, sitting on the plowed snow
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Estimating we have about 'half an Eric' of snow
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Evan, on top of the plowed snow...

the bottom of the picture is ground level

Why I have the best husband ever

1. He bought milk on the way home. Two gallons. I don't even want to know how much he had to pay for it.

2. Even though snow is coming down at an alarming rate, he still made steaks on the grill happen tonight...I couldn't use this on my photoblog because it would break my no-editing rule (had to fix the red eye) even though the steam coming off the grill is really cool looking, but here is my ode to hubby on this snowy night:

Bring on the snow!

I feel eerily prepared for this weekend's snowstorm, which is strange. I keep thinking I should be stocking up on supplies for the weekend, but then realized I have everything. Ok, maybe we could use another gallon of milk, but we can always use another gallon of milk for the cereal monsters. When Emmett starts drinking milk, I think it will be cheaper to just buy a cow.

Groceries--check. Although I'm going to have to re-evaluate the menu for this weekend, because I don't see my husband grilling steaks on Friday night if we get the snow we're supposed to get. But I can probably push that meal to Sunday, so not a big deal.

Movies--check. I have been stockpiling 'new' movies from www.swapadvd.com and the kids have Little Big League, Free Willy, and Dennis the Mennace. Ethan and I have Hitch, and Liar Liar (which we have seen dozens of times, but are still good go-to movies for a snowy night in).

Salt--un-check. We have very little ice melting sat to sprinkle, BUT our homeowners association found a plowing company that also shovels/salts our sidewalks for an extremely reasonable price, so I'm not too worried.

Activities--check. Evan and Eric recently discovered the joy of building forts out of furniture/blankets, which provides HOURS of entertainment. It's awesome. Evan was home with me yesterday because of the snow and he spent most of the day snuggled in his fort drawing and playing video games. The rest of it he spent putting stickers on a huge piece of paper, which is also a quality time-waster. We also got a bunch of games for Christmas, and there's a few that haven't been played yet.

What are your snowy weekend plans?

Let's hope he never gets lost

Me: Eric, what's your phone number?

Eric: Mommy! I don't have a phone!

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Me: Eric, what's your address?

Eric: I don't wear a dress

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Me: Say 'Vienna, Virginia'

Eric: something unintelligible

Me: Vienna

Eric: Vienna

Me: Virginia

Eric: Virginia

Me: Vienna, Virginia

Eric: That's what I said!

In case I need a good blackmail story

I walked past Eric in the bathroom earlier tonight and he was--ahem--'shaking.' He sees me walk past and says:

"Look Mommy, I'm shaking over the potty! Dancin' and shakin' and movin/ to the music!"

To be fair, I was the one who taught him what I thought were the lyrics to "Play That Funky Music" but I am now finding out the actual lyrics are:

"dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'"

In any case, it's a good story to have when he starts datin' :-)

A teenager in the making

My dad, brother, Evan, Eric, and I went to the train show yesterday. The trip started with lunch at Noodles & Company, always a favorite. After lunch, the train show, and the chaotic ride home with 2 over tired children, I asked them what their favorite part of the day was:

Eric: Trains! The big choo-choo trains!

Evan: Eating lunch at the noodle place!

Me: No, what was your favorite part of the train show?

Evan: Eating popcorn!

Me: Okay, besides eating, what was your favorite part:

Evan: Buying a train t-shirt!

At least they looked like they were having fun (yes, my father always talks when someone is trying to take his picture and my brother wears shorts even when it is cold and raining outside).

WWF goes to pre-school

When picking Eric up from pre-school today, one of the teachers needed to talk to me. I actually had the idea they wanted to talk to me because of how wonderful Eric has been doing lately.

Wrong.

Today, my sweet, mellow, mild-mannered (post ear tube) little boy decided to regress. BIG TIME.

He hit--not one, not two, but THREE--of his 'friends' today. And the first one he hit in the face with a (toy) train track. Luckily the victim was okay and didn't require stitches or anything. The other two hits were minus any toys.

So, on the way home, Eric and I are talking (I"m curious if he will tell me about what happened). I ask him about his day and what he did and his friends, and he answers everything all happy cheery with no mention of turning pre-school into a cage match. I ask him about hitting his friends and he admits to it. When I asked him why:

"Because that's what Eric's do"

Seriously, how can I rationalize with a three year old when he starts talking about himself in the third person? Let's just hope today was a one-time deal.

Atypical, but not surprising

The icemaker on the refrigerator seemed to be jammed this weekend. After waiting a full minute, and listening to the ice build up in the door, a Happy Meal toy came flying out of the ice dispenser, followed by about a gallon of ice cubes.

I took Evan and Eric for haircuts...on the drive home, I thanked them for being so good and patient. Eric replied "Oh sure Mommy, not a problem."

There was more, but I've already forgotten...this is why I need to blog!

Killing time

I'm not sure I like that title...could be taken the wrong way. I'm not going on some sort of murder spree, just to clarify. Emmett is happily sleeping in the backseat after being diagnosed with a double ear infection (one ear was so bad the nurse actually jumped back after looking in his ear), so I don't really want to take him inside and wake him up and the weather is SO gorgeous, I figured I'd sit in the van with him and play on the computer.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad was that run on sentence?

Other than the nasty ear infections, life is pretty good in our house. The working full time/having three kids thing is working out pretty well, which kind of surprises me. Ethan is probably ready to enlist me in the armed forces to become sort of drill sargent, but I know he would never say that ;-) I am getting my work job done, I pick up all 3 kids (most days), dinner has been on the table at a reasonable hour every night, and everyone has what they are supposed to have for lunch the next day.

How, you ask, have I managed to accomplish this amazing feat day after day? Planning people, lots and lots of planning.

I'm trying to put a picture of my menu plan for January here, but it's just not working. In any case, I have a month worth of meals lined up, with all the major ingredients stocked in my fridge, and I have actually been following this plan! I'm so impressed. Tell me you're impressed.

Naptime is coming to an end, so that's all for today's rambling. Happy long weekend!

Oh wait, here's the list of meals...best I can do under the circumstances:

• Sun Jan 3 Chicken Pot Pie
• Mon Jan 4 Spaghetti & Meatballs
• Tue Jan 5 Crockpot Beef Stew
• Wed Jan 6 Black-Eyed Pea Tacos
• Thu Jan 7 Flounder w/Lemony Bread Crumb Topping
• Sat Jan 9 Crockpot Blue Cheese & Steak
• Mon Jan 11 Spinach/Onion Quesadillas
• Tue Jan 12 Soup & Sandwiches
• Wed Jan 13 Greek Penne Pasta
• Thu Jan 14 Crockpot Maple Ham
• Fri Jan 15 Eggs & Bacon
• Mon Jan 18 Baked Ziti
• Tue Jan 19 Hot Dog Creole
• Wed Jan 20 Bowtie Alfredo w/Broccoli
• Thu Jan 21 Crockpot Philly Cheesesteaks
• Fri Jan 22 Salmon w/Chili-Lime Spice Rub
• Sat Jan 23 Chicken Diablo
• Sun Jan 24 Tomato & Wild Rice Soup
• Mon Jan 25 Chicken BBQ Sandwiches
• Tue Jan 26 Mediterranean Chicken
• Wed Jan 27 Chicken Nuggets w/Mac & Cheese
• Thu Jan 28 Crockpot Orange Chicken
• Fri Jan 29 Sausage & Egg Casserole
• Sun Jan 31 Baked Macaroni & Cheese
• Mon Feb 1 Fried Rice w/Shrimp
• Tue Feb 2 Potato & Goat Cheese Spanish Tortilla
• Wed Feb 3 Chicken Quesadillas
• Thu Feb 4 Crockpot Margarita Chicken

P.S. I love the Crockpot Lady, in case you couldn't tell :-)

Eric 2.0

Eric got ear tubes a few weeks ago (I find myself wanting to say he had ear tubes installed, but that just doesn't sound right), after suffering through 7 ear infections in as many months, or some miserable number. The doctors assured us it would be a good thing. Friends told us the surgery was a walk in the park and he would be back to his normal self by the time he got home from the surgery.

They lied to us. They were all WRONG.

The surgery was a great thing. Eric is a completely different person. The ear tubes propelled him from being a grumpy toddler into a happy, social little boy who talks so much I think he might be talking more than Evan. He greets me in the morning with a hug and a "good morning Mommy" and constantly comes up to me wanting a hug and kiss, and to tell me that he loves me. He asks questions (lots and lots and LOTS of questions) and tells stories and puts on "shows" for his family and his classmates using puppets and stuffed animals.

In a word? He is CUTE! Ok, he was always cute, but now he is a happy cute. See for yourself:

Why do they have to grow up?

Evan goes to before and after school care at his elementary school...the kids are all different ages, and we've noticed some differences (for better and worse) in behavior because of this. It is what it is, he isn't going to be an angelic 5 year old forever, right?

I dropped him off yesterday morning and walked him in like I normally do. He ran towards the coat area, and very briefly paused to look back at me before putting his coat away and giving me a wave. Something was off, but he seemed okay, so off to work I went.

This morning, while I was pouring cereal, Evan gave me a big hug and whispered "Bye Mom" in my ear, even though I was going to be taking him to school in a few minutes. Then it hit me--maybe he doesn't want to hug me in front of all the older kids?

Seems like just yesterday I couldn't get out of the door without the requisite high five/pound/bonk combo. :-(

2010: A new year, new decade, and maybe something else

So after a whopping 42 blog entries is all of 2009, here we are again. It's the time of year where we vow to start over, do things better, try something new, etc. And who am I to think that I am above that? So here we go...the blog-worthy resolutions for 2010:

1. Eat better. While I am doing very well post-Emmett, the past month or so our family has been eating like crap, and since I do almost all of the shopping and a lot of the food prep, I can change this. The meals for January have been planned out, and we had an all-family trip to the grocery store today, so I'm off to a good start (I hope).
2. Blog more. I don't do scrapbooks or memory books, so I really need to blog so that when I'm old and senile I will remember all the memorable things that currently fill my brain. Like when Emmett got his first tooth during the 'Winter Wallop' of 2009, and his 2nd tooth just 10 days later. And even the fact that we had such a thing as a 'Winter Wallop' that dumped roughly 20 inches of snow into our neighborhood and canceled school for the entire week before Christmas.
3. Take more pictures, and be happy with them. Don't snap the shutter just to hurry up and get another picture, but enjoy and savor the moment. Thanks to the inspiration of these nice folks, I am starting my own 'Photography Project365' this year...if you're interested in keeping up (and hassling me if I fall behind--which I have no doubt that I will), then check out my Absolutely No Smiling blog. And remind me to tell you why I decided to call it that!
   

So there you have it...the resolutions I'm willing to share to the few devoted friends and family members that are brushing away the cobwebs to see that I still have a blog. Thank you for being here :-)

In the news!

Check out Evan at 45 seconds in!! And then again around the 1:30 mark with Mom and Emmett in the background!

Pumpkins, pigs, and slides oh my!

Eric and I went to the pumpkin farm with his preschool last week. He really was a Sugar Pie Honey Bunch :-)

Three months! Right on time!

I have no idea how long I will keep this up, but since I happen to have some blogging time on Emmett's 3 month birthday...here we go.

• Weight: about 18 pounds, so he seems to be slowing down a little bit. Finally. The kid is wearing 9-12 month clothes and has started rice cereal, so I was getting a little worried about how long this gorwth spurt was going to last.

• Sleeping: about 9 hours at night, and not so great with the naps during the day. I am starting to see a little bit of a pattern though, so we'll work on it.

• Personality: he's such a little dude :-) If I prop him up on my lap, he sings and coos and makes all sorts of cute noises and gives these huge grins. His eyes are a gorgeous shade of blue with the longest eyelashes I've ever seen--combine those with a drooly, bubble-blowing smile, and I'm a sucker for whatever he's selling.

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: He LOVES the jumper/exersaucer/whatever you want to call it. I stick a pillow behind his head just to help keep his head straight, but the kid will sit in there kicking and dancing, and just as happy as can be. He is a strong little guy, and I can tell I'm going to be in trouble in another couple of months!!
  

You can be my wingman anytime.

As Evan and I were driving home from school the other day, he was telling me about a new friend he made in the cafeteria. It seems a boy named Cyrus was making faces at a girl named Regan, and Regan kept putting her lunch box in front of her face so Cyrus wouldn't look at her. And Evan kept pushing her lunch box down so Cyrus could look at her.

It won't be long until they break out into song on the playground...sometimes it's good to be a mother of all boys!

Intergalactic

Priorities

The bedtime battles have returned. We are back to the nights of running up and down the steps every 10 minutes, bribing, threatening...one night I actually left the kids with nothing but the fitted sheet on their beds. No pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals. After some discussion, Evan and I identified two key rules, wrote them on a piece of paper, and hung them in their room:

1. Be quiet
2. Stay in bed

Every night, I remind Evan of the rules, usually by asking "what are the rules?" Tonight when I asked him, he started to go into a long rambling spiel about how it's hard to remember and maybe if I moved the nightlight closer to the sign he would remember them. I asked him who the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles was and--without taking a breath--he rattled off all THREE quarterbacks (McNabb, Garcia, and Vick).

When you have knowledge like that, how can you possibly have room in your brain to remember how to go to sleep at night?

Maybe I'm not to blame

A few days ago I told Evan he could keep a blanket in his kid-sized armchair if he took all the toys out of it. There's a pocket on the back of the chair that I'm sure is intended to hold a couple of books, but apparently it has the same quality as Mary Poppins' carpet bag because here's everything that came out of it:

• Mr. Potato Head
• $1 bill
• McDonalds Happy Meal puppies Fluffy and Otis and Teddy
• Puppy "Sarah"
• Usborne addition thingamabopper
  
• Usborne subtraction thingamajig
  
• Potty book
• Empty photo album
• Jack & Annie book
• card from Grandma
• Picture from friend Sophie
• Transformer
• 11 Hot Wheels cars
• Frog noisemaker

I felt a little guilty after seeing all this, because as crazy neat and organized as I like to be, I also tend to be a little tiny bit of a packrat. It runs in the family though, so that's my excuse, and I figured poor Evan was just another victim of the gene.

And then I looked in Ethan's swim bag because I suspected that Evan's "lost" sunglasses might be in there. Despite the fact that we have not been to the pool in well over a month, here are the contents:

• 3 kids t-shirts (1 for Evan, 2 for Eric)
  
• 2 pairs of Ethan's goggles
• 2 pairs of Evan's goggles
• 2 pairs of kids sunglasses
• 1 pair of Ethan's glasses (no idea how he has been seeing for the past month)
• 1 pair of Ethan's sunglasses
• 1 pretzel stick
• 1 diving stick
• 1 badly smushed bag of goldfish (thankfully there were no bags of fruit!)

So I guess Ethan and I get to share the blame on this one :-)

Two months! Still a little late!

Since the one month update was so much fun, why not do it again?

Emmett:

• Weight: 16 pounds, 11 ounces. The pediatrician believes I am producing Haagen Dazs.
  

• Sleeping: 8 hours at night pretty consistently (woo hoo!). Still not really getting into a daytime nap schedule, but seeing as how he sleeps 8 hours at night, and then goes back to sleep for 2-3 more hours? I don't really care!!
  

• Personality: Not quite as squeaky and grunty, but still a noisy little dude. Loves to be held, but also enjoys hanging out in his swing/chair. He is also handing out the smiles like candy, except when I have the camera out. The he just looks at me with this crooked frown.
  

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: He has amazing neck strength and head control...the doctor made a point to mention that because babies with big heads tend to not be very good at picking up their heads, and Emmett does it like a rock star. You go boy!
  

Jessica:

• Weight: minus 35 pounds. But before you start calling me mean names, I do have the pouch and I'm going to need to do more than laundry to get rid of it. I liked it better after Evan was born when the pouch went away by itself...
  

• Sleeping: Slightly less than what Emmett sleeps at night, which is my own fault. I really need to learn to go to sleep when he goes to sleep!!
  

• Personality: Apparently I'm pretty calm and laid back. A friend called this morning to tell me her son has what they are 95% sure is the swine flu and she said the reason she wasn't totally freaked out about it is because I was so relaxed about the topic when we had lunch a few weeks ago. Silly, but that made me feel pretty good!
  

• Unexpected things worth mentioning: I produce Haagan Dazs. No, I do not give out free samples.