I should have bought the $7 sunglasses...

I really don't know what I was thinking.  I mean, I had to buy a new pair of sunglasses and had to do it fast.  Reese broke my pair (which I really loved) the last day of vacation.  And now, of course, we've had nothing but sunny weather in Pittsburgh.  No I'm NOT complaining...but you can't be outside for 5 or 6 hours a day on sunny days without sunglasses...at least I can't.

So off to Target we went today, or as Carter calls it, "The Red Store" to get Mommy a new pair of sunglasses, and a Slip 'n Slide for the kids to play on.  As I looked in the rear view mirror driving up to Target, I saw Reese's eyes closing in exhaustion.  We'd been at a friend's pool all morning and she was also up at 6am this morning.  But NO, I was NOT about to let her fall asleep then!  I dragged both tired kiddos into Target to get my much-needed sunglasses.  Trying on glasses with two whining kids does tend to impair one's judgement...as in...pick the first pair that looks semi-decent and R-U-N!  I had a choice between a $7 pair that was so-so and a $15 dollar pair that was just slightly better than so-so.   Why I spent the extra money for glasses that looked better...don't even ask. There I was, standing in Target wearing athletic shorts and a t-shirt, hair still wet and crazy from being in the pool...hoping I don't see anyone I recognize.  Guess I was hoping at the time if I got some stylin' glasses, it might improve my overall appearance.  ;)

When we got home, Carter grabbed my glasses off the table and promptly dropped them on the floor...and it hit me...why did I get the more expensive glasses???  He also told me he wanted to go out in the then 93 degree heat and try out the slip and slide.  I got it all set up, told him what to do....and after one try he sat down on it with a big pout on his face and refused to move an inch.  God give me patience!

Happy Memorial Day

Sewickley Memorial Day Parade this morning...

I asked Reese, "Is that fire truck cool, or what?"  She replied, "What!"

His face is CLASSIC!

Our "Journey"

When we FINALLY made it to OBX, we stopped at Jockey's Ridge to let the kids stretch their legs.  They were in HEAVEN.  I couldn't believe how they both took off with such enthusiasm up the huge dunes...Carter made it all the way to the top on his own. 

When we FINALLY made it to OBX, we stopped at Jockey's Ridge to let the kids stretch their legs.  They were in HEAVEN.  I couldn't believe how they both took off with such enthusiasm up the huge dunes...Carter made it all the way to the top on his own. 

I conquered the dune!!!

Jockey's Ridge State Park

Ghost Crab Catchin'....it's a big one!!

We rode go-carts with the kids...Reese was a little shell-shocked by the whole thing...Carter, on the other hand...LOVED it!!

Beach fun....

The other day we noticed Carter was getting a black eye.  When we asked him how he hurt his eye, he answered right away, "I ran into a tree."

When the hot tub sprung a leak yesterday, Carter asked my mom, "Did you buy it on sale, Nani?"

We took the kids up to the dunes last night for a photo shoot...and got a few good ones.  This was only accomplished with much sugar-related bribery...but hey...you do what you gotta do with kids.

Yes!!!  I get candy just for standing here and looking cute...SWEET!

We took the kids for a ride on the beach tonight.  On the way home, Mom whipped out her iPhone with a special birding App.  It has bird calls on it and amazingly, after playing one for a red-headed woodpecker, (a pretty rare bird) two of those very birds flew out right near us.  Pretty cool.  Then we took the kids to ride go-carts.  Reese was terrified and hyperventilating...but afterwards, all she could say was "Go cart!  Go Cart!  Go Cart!"  Even as she was in her bed and I was kissing her goodnight....she said, "Go cart, go!"

Finally at the beach...

One minute after we FINALLY stepped onto the beach, Carter said enthusiastially "I LOVE this place!!!"  So cute...he was SOOOO excited to come here and it's great to see him enjoying it so much this year.  And Reese too.  She couldn't even walk yet last time we were here and it's great to see both of them running in and out of the water, jumping into holes we dig, finding shells, splashing in the shallow surf.  Going to the beach with kids also makes you appreciate the days you used to be able to bring a book to the beach and just lay out and read for hours.  There was none of that happening today!

He said what??

Carter:  "Momma, I don't like long trips."
Me:  "Oh, you don't?  What do you want to do instead."
Carter:  "I want to walk instead."

Carter wimpering:  "Momma, I really hurt my foot bad."  Then in  a very serious voice, "But it's not bleeding."

Laying in his bed, ready to fall asleep, "There's hair growing on my hands."

To Do:

I kinda feel obligated to engage in some sort of "spring cleaning", even though I feel like all I ever do is clean, clean, and clean some more.  Plus with all the lousy weather, there's no excuse not to tidy up a bit...being stuck inside so much and all...

1.  Organize and store kid's clothing that is too small or out of season.  Does any other parent feel like their lives are a perpetual revolving door of kid's clothing?  I mean SERIOUSLY...how do they go through so many clothes...wearing some for such a short time....yet destroy so many of them completely?  And whenever I do get the time to go through clothes and sort/store some away, it feels like the very next week I'm taking another stack into my spare bedroom (where I keep them all) to add to the pile.  Arghhhhhh

2. Clean windows. HA!  HAHAHAHA!  Yea, like that is even a possibility?!  Whenever I even attempt to try to clean them, the kids almost always follow me around either making hand prints on the newly cleaned windows or pressing their noses and mouths up against them.  Just leaves you with that deep satisfied feeling of accomplishment, you know?  Today, to their credit, they did try to "help" me clean the windows.  Perhaps we are making some progress in this area?

3. Sort through toys, donating any unused or unwanted ones.  Yea this is a fun one too.  Last night I dug to the very depths of my toy box, finding all kinds of "treasures" the kids had forgotten about.  I had neat piles of "Store"  "Trash" and "Move to another location" when a tornado...I mean Reese...hit.  My piles were unrecognizable instantly and it was as if Christmas had arrived.  NEW TOYS!!!!!  No actually these toys have just been buried at the bottom of your toy box for probably a year, but hey don't let me get in your way or anything.

4. Clean out the garage.  Now that warmer weather has arrived, our garage seems to be some sort of staging area for stinkbug operations.  They are EVERYWHERE in there...I don't even like going out there because it gives you this creepy kind of feeling...like you are being watched...like they are just waiting to land on you.  And somehow, they've found a way back into my van again.  I spotted two of them in the back while I was driving today...one managed to hide again by the time we got home...ugh!

Oh who am I kidding anyway...clean is not compatible with 2 kids and 3 pets!

Discovery

Last night, after a thorough investigation was conducted, a source was found for the ants that were crawling in our garage.  A sad but true fact is that the warmer days of spring also mean the return of bugs.  We've already seen a resurgence of stink bugs on the warmer, sunny days. (not that there have been many of those)  On one trip to the zoo a month ago I killed at least 4 of them in the van during the drive there and back.  Don't ask me how or why they are in the van.  Well, last night's discovery topped this....easily.  After unloading some groceries, Derrick discovered that my car was infested with ants.  I place 100% of the blame for this on my children, who so graciously dump bits of their snacks all over my car every time we drive somewhere.

Now that I've talked about something really appetizing, let me share some more recipes with you.  Haha!

This Ham and Potato Soup is a great go-to recipe for cooler days (or whenever).  I use skim milk and it still tastes rich and creamy when you puree it like the recipe calls for.  Love it!   Even without the ham, it is still so yummy.

Since summer isn't far off, I'm already dreaming of making more of this Tomato Bisque.  I did can it last year and still have some left over...ohh, maybe I'll have that for lunch today....  I used fresh chopped tomatoes rather than the canned and just skim milk rather than cream.

This Red Lentil Soup was really tasty.  I would leave about 1/3 of it out (not puree it all) next time.

Since it's another cold rainy day here today, I may try this recipe.  Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup.  Maybe having that many components will be over the top...but I'll let you know.

Quotes from the weekend...

 Carter to Reese, "Reese, you're my little snuggle buddy."

Carter to Reese, "Reese say Yikes!"  Reese, screaming:  "YIKES!"

Me to Reese, "Reese what do you want for Breakfast today."  Reese looking into the pantry, "Chips!"  (Yes, she did mean potato chips...sigh)

During a walk today while he was snacking on pretzels, "When I grow up I'm going to be a pretzel."

A simple phone call

I was joking with my friend today as we chatted on the phone for half an hour how difficult it is with kids, even to make one simple phone call.  In just the time I was trying to talk  Carter kept jumping on Reese over and over, both kids trashed my family room and emptied every toy out they could find, Carter was throwing balls and other small objects up into the moving ceiling fan (one ball hit me right in the forehead), and both kids were playing with this bouncing putty (so not a good idea).  Carter thought it would be fun to rip tiny pieces of the putty off, Hansel and Gretal style, and leave a trail around the whole downstairs of the house.  When I told him I didn't think that was a good idea, he wadded it up into a ball, stuck it under the leg of my dining room chair, and pushed down on the chair as hard as he could, grinding it into the rug.  Yea, this is why I don't make many phone calls anymore....


Derrick found a toad in the garden today and showed it to Carter.  Carter laughed when it started hopping across the deck and said, "That toad jumps like a frog!"

Naked baby

Sometimes life as a parent of young children seems a little like Groundhog Day.  I mean, in one way or another, you kinda go through the same things over and over again, with maybe a few changes to the types of trouble the kids cause.  Reese's vice of choice today was stripping.  She refused to get dressed this morning and once I was able to get the clothes on her, she made it her sole mission to get them off.  ASAP!  She was even working on her diaper when I about snapped.  We went to Target and Sam's as soon as I was able to get her fully clothed and while there, she'd sneakily take off her shoe and throw it on the floor, as if she was purposely trying to lose it.  After a couple times realizing we were down one shoe I put both in my purse.  After returning home from getting some groceries, I took the kids outside (another gorgeous day here!!!) and threw a pizza in the oven for lunch while they played with their water table.

When the pizza was ready I started to cut it up on a plate while they sat at their picnic table on the deck.  I was telling them how nice it was that we could eat outside when I inadvertently cut too close to the edge of the plate which was hanging over the edge of the table, flipping the whole thing upside-down on my hands and spilling the pizza all over the deck.  Smart...I know.  It definitely burned a few of my fingers.  After I'd gotten all of that cleaned up, I was sitting down at the little table to eat with the kids.  Reese reached across the table and pushed my water glass right over with her hand, spilling water all over me and my plate.

By this time I was running late for Carter's art class.  I did get there just in time but arrived in my still wet shorts.  When we got back home, Reese was running around the house in just a diaper.  My poor neighbor watching her said she didn't want to wear any clothes the entire time we were away.  Hope she's got that out of her system!

Recipe to try...

Here's one to try....the kids love them...and Derrick and I do too!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (could probably be reduced to 2/3 cup though)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used all whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with applesauce to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.  For mini-muffins, bake 14 minutes at same temp.

The "perfect" day

Yesterday was one of those idyllic days...sun shining, warm breeze blowing, bright, clear blue sky overhead....and it was the first day of Carter's Sports Class.  I had these images in my mind of a group of happy toddlers, bouncing around in the grass kicking the ball to each other...big smiles on their faces.  I imagined myself sitting on the sidelines, quietly playing with Reese while Carter had fun learning some new athletic skills.

This was not the way the scene played out however...no not at all.  Let's see, before we even left the house, Carter was whining and pouting, saying he didn't even want to go.  I convinced him, however, that it would be "fun".  Oh how wrong I was.  Once we arrived at the park, he was already hollering..."I want to play on the playground!"  "I want to ride my bike."  "I want to stomp on the bleachers!"  I DON'T want to go to my Sports Class!!!!"  I tried for 10 minutes to get him to participate while the other moms sat quietly at a picnic table, observing the train wreck.  I tried to get him to sit in a circle with the other kids...to run around the bases...to kick the ball.  But he would have none of it.  He stood on a base, with a huge pout on his face and tears rolling down his cheeks and I realized, I had been defeated.  With my head down, avoiding all eye contact, I picked up one child in each arm and hurried back to my car in utter mortification.  Someday, things will get easier....right??  Once we were home and I got him to talk to me, I asked him why he didn't want to play with the other kids in the class.  He told me, "I didn't want to run because I would just be too tired."

And yet, after he calmed down we drove to a playground to meet some neighbors and he played for 2 straight hours.  He was running and laughing and running some more.  Reese needed a diaper change which is always fun to attempt on the front seat of my car and it did not go well.  So as we walked into the house at lunch time, Carter with a huge grin on his face....Reese with no pants shoes or socks on...I thought to myself...well, at least they are happy.

After dinner last night he went outside with Reese and this same little boy who wouldn't move one foot forward that same morning ran laps around our house for at least half an hour.  Around and around again....  Amazing how quickly things can change.  While he was running, Reese made her own version of "snow angels" in the sandbox, laying belly down in the sand and moving her arms and legs like she was swimming.  Did I try to stop her...no.  It was already a bath night.

SUN!!!!

 We enjoyed a few hours this morning with Nani and Pop Pop before they had to leave to go home.  Then the little beasts came out of their shells and gave me a run for my money since I'd been given a pass on full-time child care for the last few days.   Thanks Mom and Dad for helping with them so much!!!  Carter was little Mr. Pouty and non-stop hitting Reese.  She was super-clingy.

Fortunately today is a gorgeous day and the entire week promises to be this way.  SUNNNNN...how I've missed you so!  The kids got to play with several of their friends and were literally outside for almost 5 straight hours.  I'm afraid we will all be terribly sunburned tonight!  I was rushing to vacuum up some dirt off the floor after lunch since the house was completely trashed by that time and broke the foot pedal right off the vacuum.  Derrick does not know yet...so not good.  Don't ask how I manage to do these things!!  I may have earned a pass on this one though because I spent like 2 hours painting the deck this afternoon.


The sun must have some correlation to my kids appetites as well.  For breakfast today, Carter had a pancake, a piece of peach bread, a banana, a grapefruit, and was then asking for an egg...but never ended up eating that.  Reese had a 2 egg cheese omelet, a grapefruit, 1/2 a banana and a slice of peach bread.  Thank goodness our garden will be kicking into gear here soon...will be nice to supplement our groceries with some "free" food from the backyard!

Busy weekend...

 We've had a busy few days here while Nani and Pop Pop are visiting.  We've been trying to finish the basement for over 2 years...well Derrick has mostly by himself...God bless him!  So anyway, he spent a lot of time down there while we had help with the kids and we also were able to get a LOT of yard work done today since it was NOT raining.  Hallelujah!

The neighborhood gang.

Yesterday I was able to catch up with college friends at a baby shower...so much fun!  Then we had a going away party at our house for a neighbor.  We surprised him by saying it was a Kentucky Derby Party.  Isn't this cake another neighbor brought Awesome!?

Carter has run the gamut of emotions over the last few days.  He's gone from SUPER moody to very nice.  You can see Reese's nice shiner on the forehead...that was from a hockey stick.  But tonight he was actually being nice to her in the bath which is rare.  Ah, the curse of a big brother.

Texting while living...

Ok so hopefully I don't make too many enemies by saying what I am about to say...but am I the only person bothered by the amount of texting going on these days?  A few months back I was angered when several people in front of me at a movie were texting throughout the entire movie.  I have nearly been run over walking down my street on a number of occasions by someone texting while driving.  And yesterday's little trip to the Children's Museum only increased my frustrations with texting exponentially.  It seemed like at least half of the parents who were there as chaperones for the many school trips were more focused on texting than watching the kids they were in charge of.  At least 4 times, older school kids were bullying my own kids and every time I looked around to see where the adult in charge of watching them was.....they were texting.  I'm not against texting....don't get me wrong.  I have yet to enter the 21st century I guess because I don't text....but it seems that texting has infiltrated so many people's lives to the point that they aren't even really present in their day to day activities any more.  If you are going to take your kids to the museum, then go to the museum and focus on that time with them there.  I'm pretty sure most of those texts being sent back and forth yesterday weren't that important.  Sorry...just had to get that off my chest.

Carter and Reese spent the morning with a neighbor so I could attend my last Bible Study of the year.  She broke a nail and Carter told her, "I don't know how you will get a new one because they don't sell those at the grocery store."  He also told her "I will show you where the mop is if you make a mess on the floor."

I forgot to mention this before I think but Reese really likes one of the songs from their class and was singing "Jesus is alive!" over and over again on the whole 6 hour trip to NJ last weekend.  So cute!

Intense Outing

Since the ever-rainy weather continues in Pittsburgh, I took the kids out to the Children's Museum this morning.  It was quite an adventure.  Upon arriving there were at least 7 school buses lined up at the entrance with loads of kids filling off and into the museum.  It was the most crowded I've ever seen it and was about as chaotic as you could possibly imagine.  It didn't help that one full floor of the museum is closed right now for renovation.  But we still managed to have fun there for almost 2 hours.

 We decided to go for lunch with our friends to McDonalds' since they have a large indoor play area. My friend stood in a 15-person long line to order the food while I took the 3 kids into the play area.  Of course, they immediately all ran in separate directions and it too was packed with people.  After 5 minutes, Carter had to go to the bathroom, of course, so I had to take all three of them into the restroom so he could go.

Her pants were completely soaked from the bubble solution after 1 whole minute.

 After coming out of the restroom, the food was ready, so we sat down to eat lunch.  My kids both got Happy Meals and were so amazed by their new toys they hardly wanted to eat and only ate the french fries, no burger or nuggets.  Right as we were starting to eat, Carter also spilled almost his entire bottle of chocolate milk all over himself and the table and floor.

It's so relaxing going out with kids, you know?  I think I've been permanently scarred from ever being a chaperon on my kids school trips!

Quotable Quotes

While we were praying the other night, Carter to Reese:
"Reese close your eyes.  Reese, your eyes are open.  Reese, you need to close your eyes!"

Reese's new phrase, "Whatcha Dooo-in?"  Or "Whatcha Doooo-in, Carter"

Carter to me while we were driving in the car today, "Mamma I want a long beard just like Pop Pop.  And, I don't want a haircut ever."

Both kids double teamed me this morning while I was cleaning up breakfast.  I turned around and they both had big handfulls of cotton candy,  (Someone gave Carter a bag for Easter) and were running around the house with it.

Stronger

Needed to hear this song tonight...

Time Away

 We had a great visit to NJ over the weekend to see the family.  It was also a nice break from the ever-stressful Marcellus drilling situation in Pittsburgh.

Our first day was spent visiting Johnson's Farm with some friends.  The kids absolutely loved it...they have so many cute things for little kids to do there.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day and so nice to be outside for a few hours.  We even went on a hayride, which they really enjoyed.

 Carter's comment to Reese when she was cowering away from this tiny puppy was, "It's not an alligator, Reese!"  Keen observation there, big brother.  We were so glad Uncle Bob and Aunt Rose brought this new addition to their family down to meet the kids!

We enjoyed seeing Uncle Ed on this visit, since we won't see him again till Christmas.  He won his way into Carter's heart by building a Lego construction vehicle for him.

Reese loves her Auntie and Uncle!

 We celebrated all the family birthday's between April and July since we probably won't all be together again until Christmas.  Carter was well practiced at the candle blowing-out and both he and Reese ate an entire piece of ice cream cake.

Happy Birthday to half the family...

Take that, Uncle Mark!

 Reese liked the new puppets she received for her birthday.   I'm not sure, however, who had more fun playing with them...the kids or the adults.

Yesterday, we had a real blast from the past.  We spent most of the day at Six Flags Great Adventure.  We drove the kids through the Safari first thing in the morning, then we wandered around the park for about 4 hours.  It was awesome...there were hardly any long lines and it was so much fun going on some of the rides I haven't been on in over a decade.  We went on some great new roller coasters as well!