Ahoy!

Arr, me hearty! It's been a full day and me eyes are very close t' shuttin' fer the night ... but before I go t' sleep, I'm obliged t' give ye a wee little peek at our fun. Me little mateys were stealin' hearts left an' right today. Be sure an' come back t'morrow if ye be wantin' t' hear the details.

The Best Medicine

After much discussion last week, it was decided that I would travel home to help my parents after my sisters left. I have to be honest ... I was pretty hesitant to take on the job, knowing I would also have two active little boys to take care of. I was so nervous that the three of us would become more of a burden than a help. And that I would basically just stress everybody out.

Silly. Silly. Me.

My parents blossomed under the care of my two little ones.

What I learned this week:

1) Watching a two-year-old peform "Open, Shut Them" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" was much more nourishing to the soul than any food I could have prepared for them.

2) Holding a sleeping baby kept my mom a thousand times warmer than the blanket I covered her with, or the slippers I helped put on her feet.

3) Listening to my boys laugh in the bathtub was more cleansing than the hydrogen peroxide I poured on their wounds as I changed their dressings.

4) Watching cartoons and eating breakfast in bed with her grandson was the best kind of distraction from my mom's constant pain and nausea. And my dad didn't even mind the crumbs left behind on his side of the bed. ;)

5) My constant encouragement was no match for the time Tanner saw my mom using the restroom and said "YAY!!! Grammy gets an M&M! Grammy gets an M&MMMMMMM!!!!"


These two were the best kind of medicine.

We'll be heading back next week for another dose.

A Little Bit of Peace

Don't you just love those new little paint samples they sell at Home Depot? You can get a pretty good size sample of any color you want for just under $2.50. It's great, really. Especially if you are terrible about making decisions, like me!! We are determined to paint our living room/dining room that is really a playroom, and I think I've bought nearly 10 different samples of paint to test out.

Just an hour ago, I schlepped the kids into the store, bought two new samples, and came home to test them out. Landon fell asleep in the car, and Tanner was playing so nicely by himself, I thought it was a great time to get out the paint, brush it on a few pieces of posterboard, and see how I like it. Surprise, surprise -- Tanner decided to join me. He pulled his chair up to the countertop, stood beside me, then spilled the entire sample of paint all over my hardwood floor.

I (very calmly) removed my shoes and paint-splattered pants, carried him up to his room and locked the door, explaining that I would come get him after the mess was cleaned up. Then, I proceeded to clean up that huge mess, yuck. Anyways, now I'm done. Tanner is up in his room playing (HE doesn't know I'm finished yet). Landon is still sleeping. And I have a little bit of peace. I might even have a cup of coffee before I go upstairs.

And I'm just going to go ahead and say it. In honor of my dad and Jon's dad. "We can't have anything nice around here."

:) PEACE OUT.

Prayers, Please!

Many of you already know what happened this weekend, but some of you don't, so let me fill you in.

On Thursday night, my parents were in a car accident on their way to visit my little brother at West Point. I got a call from my grandmother on Friday morning to tell me what had happened. Their rental car was totaled in the accident, but fortunately, the inside of the car stayed pretty much intact (other than the windshield). The accident happened in Toledo, so they were taken to a hospital there, where they have been ever since. My dad broke his clavicle in three places, and just had surgery to repair it on Sunday afternoon. My mom's hip was fractured right where the hip socket is and she also had to have surgery on Sunday evening. The rest of their injuries were just cutr and bruises ... thank goodness!

My sister, Lauren, flew in immediately after she got the news, and we drove together to Toledo to be with them on Saturday. I had to come back on Sunday, but Lauren decided to stay with my parents for the week. My other sister, Katherine, flew in on Sunday night and will also be with my parents for the rest of the week. (Did you get all that???) I am so lucky to have such wonderful sisters who were both able to take a week off and get my parents back from the hospital and settled in at home.

I just spoke to Katherine on the phone and they are getting ready to load my parents up in their van to bring them home. I'm not quite sure what we should expect as far as recovery for my dad, but I know that my mom's recovery will be pretty long. She cannot put weight on her hip or sit up straight for 6-8 weeks. We have a lot of work to do to get the house ready for that kind of situation and aren't quite sure what to do after Lauren and Katherine leave. So, please just keep my mom and dad in your prayers. And if you think of it, say a prayer for my sisters and I, too, that God will give us the wisdom we need in making the right decisions for them, etc. We are so sad that this happened, but incredibly thankful that my parents are still here and that their injuries will eventually heal! I'll keep you posted!

"My do it"

Just a glimpse of life with a "big boy" in the house. :)

Oh, Brother!

... a guest post from Landon.

The other day, my mom FINALLY got into the front of the line at the post office. Tanner had already gone through a whole lollipop and even took his shoes and socks off while we were waiting. He was being SO Bad. But I was being good -- of course. Someone's gotta keep my mom sane at times like this! I kept the old ladies behind me distracted from my big brother's behavior by flirting with them big time. They were all in love with my dimples. I mean, who ISN'T? By the time she got to the front of the line, my mom forgot the pin number to her debit card. That's almost as bad as forgetting your phone number! In fact, she entered the wrong pin so many times that she got locked out of her bank account. Talk about embarrassing. I made sure to wake her up a few times that night to give her a hug and make her feel better.

I'm getting pretty good at moving around. Tanner gets all worked up whenever I get close to his toys. (The kid thinks EVERYTHING is his.) Yesterday he tried to physically move me away from his kitchen stuff. He obviously didn't realize that I'm 20 lbs of solid muscle.

My mom attempts to feed me mush every night right around dinner time. It's totally gross and I try really hard to keep my mouth clamped shut. I'm no fool ... if I eat that stuff it'll make me way too full to wake up for my night-time snacks, complete with undivided attention from mom. (She's a total sucker -- it's the DIMPLES, man! I'm telling you! The women LOVE them!)

My dad is totally fun. He flies me around the house like I'm an airplane. And he's always telling everyone how fast I catch on to things ... like breastfeeding, which always makes Mom roll her eyes. She loves it when he tells other people things like that.

My brother and me ... we're going to be best buddies. I just know it. Even though he's pretty stingy right now, I know he'll eventually learn to share. He's very protective of me. Whenever we go over to a new friend's house, he always leans over my seat, points to me, and says, "NO! MY brother!" with a really stern look on his face. He comes to my rescue during the day whenever I am crying in my crib. And he's always so happy to see me when he first wakes up in the morning. I can pretty much say for certain that he is my favorite person in the world.

Don't worry, though, Mom and Dad. You're tied for second.

Still Adjusting

Well, it's no secret by now that some days are better than others around here. I'm happy to report that today was a good day -- which is nice because yesterday I was about to pull my hair out.

Both boys slept a tiny bit late this morning, then we had playgroup, a trip to Kohl's, and a calm afternoon filled with lots of independent play by Tanner. He is very into pretending right now, and spent close to an hour taking different stuffed animals up to his room, attempting to diaper them, read to them, and then make them take a "nap." It was all very entertaining to spy on!




Landon spent most of the afternoon just crawling around the playroom with Tanner. He was so content to just watch his big brother in action while gnawing on everything in sight. I can't believe how fast he is starting to move. He is still Army crawling, but definitely getting everywhere he wants to go. Pretty soon I think he'll start pulling himself into a sitting position. No teeth yet. Solids are going okay. Still not sleeping through the night :( We had his 6 mos. checkup last week and he weighed 20 lbs (80th %tile) and measured 29 in (off the charts). I asked the doctor if he should be sleeping all night yet, but he said not to worry about it. (Hmpff! Easy for him to say!)





I have been really struggling lately to accomplish anything. To-do lists (which I used to LOVE) totally stress me out and make me a mean mom. So, I'm trying to just do what I can when I can. Lately our naps are all over the place, so someone is always awake. The house is a mess EVERY NIGHT when Jon gets home. I often feel like I'm floundering and barely keeping my head above water. I just can't seem to get it together even though I spend ALL DAY taking care of my house and my boys. Maybe this is what life with multiple kids feels like. Or maybe this is just a bump in the road and my kiddos are extra needy right now. Time will tell. Even after 6 mos, I'm STILL adjusting to life with 2. I find that my attitude makes a HUGE difference in how my day goes ... not that I am more productive when I have a good attitude, I just approach the day in a different way and it is more enjoyable for everyone. I'm sure a good night's sleep wouldn't hurt anything either. :)

Speaking of, I better get my kitchen cleaned so I can get to bed. Goodnight!

Mama's Boys

Grammy came this weekend to visit! We were supposed to be getting some family pictures taken and she was going to lend us a hand with the kids, but the pics got cancelled due to the yucky weather. That was okay by me, though! I got to take a nap on Saturday afternoon -- actually, I was ordered to take one by my mom (I don't know what Tanner's problem is ... naps are AWESOME!). Then Jon and I got to go out and see a movie. We saw The Hangover, which was sooo hilarious!

I just love having my mom here. She stayed all the way until this afternoon, watched my boys, did my laundry, cleaned my kitchen several times. We talked a lot about how much we LOVE our boys and how the love that mothers have for their sons is so very special. Of course, I know that the bond between mother and daughter is special, too, but maybe this love between moms and their boys is unique because it's so very surprising. Every mom knows they'll love a little girl -- they know just how to care for her, dress her, etc -- but who knew that you could love a little boy THIS MUCH!!! I'm so glad God gave me two of them! And I'm also so thankful that he gave me a mom to love and encourage me as I parent them!

Poor Jon!

He left the house this morning around 8:00.

I got a call from him around 8:30.

He got a ticket pulling out of our subdivision.

Then he ran out of gas about 10 minutes later.

Not a good way to start the day.

Just Checkin' In

I've been such a bad blogger lately, and I really don't have a good excuse.


We've just been busy.


And my house is a mess.


And my laundry pile just seems to get bigger and bigger. Probably because my laundry room is a mess and I need to clean it just so that I can load my washer.


And I just feel like I'm kind of in a funk.


So I'm going to spend the next 45 minutes before I go to bed trying to whip this place back into shape.


Oh yeah ... Landon is almost crawling. He's inchworming actually, if you really want to know. It started over the weekend, and now he's all over the place. And it's TOO DARN CUTE ... just like he is.

And Tanner rode a pony last week. I'm pretty sure his life is now complete. He talked about it for a good half hour afterwards. :)

Off to clean house!

In case you're wondering ...

Jon just mentioned that he would like lessons in how to play the recorder for his birthday. You know ... the little flute everyone learns how to play in 4th grade music class? Yep .. that's the one.

Undercover Agents

Don't let their cuteness fool you.

These boys may look like they're just playing innocently together, as brothers often do.

In reality, though, they're conspiring against me -- plotting how they might further their campaign for a sleep-deprived mother. And their daddy is no better. Nobody wants me to get any sleep around here. Nobody. Consider the evidence:

7:00 pm -- Landon goes to bed.

8:00 pm -- Tanner goes to bed.

9:15 pm -- I'm ready for bed and saying goodnight to Jon. He guilts me into staying up later with him. "Don't forget I'll be starting school again soon!!"

10:30 pm -- I'm finally in bed. Drifting off to sleep.

11:00 pm -- Get up to give Landon his pacifier

12:30 pm -- Hear Tanner crying, go in to see what's wrong.

12:32 pm -- Sit in bed and worry about why Tanner has been getting up in the middle of the night lately

12:53 pm -- Get up to give Landon his pacifier

12:58 pm -- Get up to give Landon his pacifier

1:04 am -- Landon is still fussing. Change his wet diaper.

1:12 am -- Landon is still fussing. Nurse him, even though he's probably not hungry.

3:00 am -- Landon wakes up for his regular feeding.

3:30 am -- Jon cuddles up to me as I get back in bed. "Stay on your own side of the bed!!"

4:15 am -- Get up to give Landon his pacifier.

4:58 am -- Get up to give Landon his pacifier, then decide to just bring him into bed with me.

5:30 am -- Landon wakes up for his regular feeding.

6:00 am -- Landon up for the morning. I get up thinking at least I can get a shower before Tanner wakes up usually around 7:30). Maybe even have a cup of coffee and fold a load of laundry.

6:10 am -- Tanner wakes up.

Repeat every night for 2 weeks. Mom's toast.

Sometimes He Just Cracks Me Up

Over the last few months, Tanner's vocabulary has expanded exponentially. He's pretty much able to communicate to us whatever he's thinking. Maybe not very eloquently, but still ... we know what he means. Which brings me to this morning's conversation. Whenever he wants to communicate that something is big or that there is a lot of of it, he uses the word "heavy." Whenever he wants to communicate that something is small, he uses the word "baby." By the way, I think one of my favorite things in the world is one of his "heavy" hugs. :)

But, I digress. Back to Tanner's room this morning. As I was changing his poopy diaper, we had this conversation:

T: Uuuucky ....

Me: SOOOOOO uuuucky.

T: HEEEEAVY uuuucky!

And that was just the beginning of today's laughs. Later on in the afternoon, I was sneaking in a quick run on our treadmill. I had just put Landon down for his nap, and Tanner was in his room supposedly napping. Let's just say it was taking him a while to fall asleep. In fact, I had put him in his room a full hour before. After about 15 minutes of running, I peaked at him on our video monitor. He was sitting at the end of his bed rail, with one leg on each side, yelling "I'm wriding, I'm wriding! Horsey! Horsey!"

I hope he's this funny tomorrow, too!

Big Day for the Littlest Hall

I'm really disappointed in myself these past few weeks with how little I've blogged. But, I've been super busy and something had to give. Usually it's housework, but I was hosting playgroup and a football watching party this week, so I had to stay on top of things. And I was crabby most of the week, so you probably wouldn't have wanted to read what I had to say anyways. :) Tomorrow is the beginning of a new week, though, and I'm determined to make it a good one.

Today was a busy day preparing to have some friends over to watch football. But, we did take a little time out this morning to celebrate our sweet baby Landon's first meal ... rice cereal ... yum! (at least he thought so!) I'm pretty sure that most of it ended up inside the crumb catcher of his bib, but he was all smiles pretty much througout the whole experience, and I didn't get any of the funny faces I was expecting. We might have to wait for green beans or peas before we see that! God, I love this kid! His dimples just make me melt!

All eyes on me for a change! I like being the center of attention!

Come on, old man! Get it to me just a little faster!

Get IN my belly!

Where I'm At

LOVING 5 months

TRYING REALLY HARD TO LOVE 2 years, 2 months

(The AGES, not the kids.)

That about sums it up for today.

Summer Lovin'

Today was a good day.

Sunshine, Friends, Yummy Blueberry Cake, a Walk/Bike Ride ... all ingredients for a happy mom and cheerful kiddos. Enjoy the pics!

While Landon was sleeping, Tanner and I baked this Blueberry Coffee Cake.

And ate some, too. :)

Then, the three of us went for a walk to the park. Tanner rode his bike.

He was totally excited about his new helmet.


He played on the slides for a little while and chased around all of the older boys, pretending he was one of them.






Our house is about 1/4 mile from the park. Just after crossing the street from the park to the sidewalk, Tanner decided that he didn't want to ride anymore. So, here I was, carrying the tricycle and pushing a stroller while my little boy crawled behind me.

... and then stopped for a break ... to look at bugs ...

... and then crawled a little further ...

... and then did a little bear walk.

We continued this for most of the rest of the way home -- until we heard a dog barking behind one of the neighbors' fences and I told him it was going to get us. I've never seen him pedal so fast. I'll have to keep that in my bag of tricks! (What a mean mom.) What a cute biker. :)

And as for this guy, he's rolling around everywhere.

He's finally figured out tummy to back.
I cannot help myself -- my days are spent covering him in kisses.

He is just too yummy for his own good!

New Top Five

Okay, so I've been wanting to do this post for a while now. I just haven't had an opportunity to sit down and do it. A friend of mine called a few weeks ago with some questions about registering for her first baby. Boy, did I give her an earful -- probably way more than she wanted to hear! Anyways, it got me thinking ... what are my FAVORITE, MUST-HAVE baby items? I posted my top-five a few years ago, when Tanner was just 3 mos old, and several of them have changed now that I have a bit more perspective and another little one to take care of. What are your faves?

My New Top Five

1) Nikon D60 (or any DSLR camera) -- I will never go to a photo studio again to get pics of my kids. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my camera and swear it was the best purchase I have ever made. I really feel like I have some awesome, frame-able pics of my kids, thanks to this camera.

2) Summer Day and Night Handheld Monitor -- I recommend this to everyone I know who is having a baby. Most of them have the same reaction that I initially did -- "they're so expensive!! I don't really need all that video stuff ... " Oh, but you do! You really really do! Especially down the road, when it's time to start letting your baby cry it out, or when you first move your toddler to a big boy bed. We even take them with us when we go visit the grandparents, or on vacation, etc. I wonder sometimes -- at what age do we have to take the cameras out of their rooms ... 18??

3) Baby Bjorn -- I'm going to be honest here. I barely used this for Tanner. But, with two, things are completely different and Landon usually finds himself in the Bjorn several times each day. Mine currently needs to be washed so badly but I don't want to go without it for the time it takes to wash it and then hang it up to dry. That's how much I love this thing. Landon is fast approaching the weight/height limit, though, so I'm thinking about getting another style of carrier to tote him around in. Any recommendations?

4) Exersaucer and Activity Gym -- think you might want to do dishes? Or check your email? Or just set your baby down for a few minutes? There will be a time when the swing or bouncy seat just isn't enough to keep your little one content and entertained. And in my case ... contained -- we've already had to put our swing back in storage because Landon has outgrown it! Once your baby is strong enough to put in the exersaucer, a whole new world opens up for them! They LOVE it! And the activity gym is an awesome precursor to the exersaucer. I don't know what I'd do without them!

5) Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover -- makes nursing in public no big deal. Which makes me think I can go anywhere, at anytime. (If I don't have a toddler to contain while I sit down and nurse, that is!)

A Few More Really Cool Things
Tiny Diner Dinner Mat

Snack Traps

Things I Wish I Wouldn't Have Bothered With

1) Diaper Genie/Diaper Champ -- the diaper genie uses refills that cost close to $7 each. The diaper champ just stinks. Period. I've found the best thing to do is put all of the diapers from one day in a plastic grocery sack and just throw it out at the end of the day. Oh yeah ... and that's free! I actually find that the trash can w/lid that we use for our cloth diapers contains smells just as nicely as the diaper genie. I just make sure to lysol it whenever I launder the diapers.

2) High Chair -- If there was one big priced item you would like to go without, have it be your high chair. It takes up so much space and a booster seat pulled up to your table is just as effective!

3) Hotsling -- It was just awkward. I used it once. No wonder there are so many for sale on eBay.

What About B.O.B.?

I still pink puffy heart B.O.B. I mean -- he's really like a member of our family. Jon, Rachel, Tanner, Landon, and BOB. He's the reason we bought a bigger car, for goodness sakes! Could I live without him? I suppose. But, gosh, he makes our (attempts at) jogging so much easier and our outings so much more fun!!

Now ... To Get Prints Made ...

I've noticed that most of my pictures lately are of Tanner doing fun things. Poor little Landon seems to only be photographed in his stroller since he can't even sit up on his own yet. Thankfully, Jon took a break from mowing the yard this morning while we were all outside, and he held Landon so I could get some good shots.

Have I told you lately how much I LOVE this kid??

Not Enough Hours In The Day

I've said this to my husband a million times.

You can do anything you want. You just can't do everything.

If you know Jon at all, you know he's pretty passionate about life and SO afraid that he's going to miss out on something cool or fun that he commits himself to way too many things. That's when I usually step in as the boring/nagging wife and remind him that he needs to prioritize.

So why can't I take my own advice? Why do I feel that, as a mom, I should be doing EVERYTHING. Because, honestly, it's completely exhausting thinking of all the things I could/should/want to be doing as a wife and mother. Those who know me best know that what I really wanted to be in life was a mom. And now, here I am! So, not only do I feel like this is the most important time in my life. I also feel like it's going to be the best time in my life, and I don't want to miss out on anything. Did you get all that? I wish I knew how to say it better.

Anyways, I just can't figure out how to do it all. I feel like the majority of my days are spent wiping (counter tops, floors, dishes, noses, hands, faces, bottoms ...), planning meals/preparing food, running errands, doing laundry, emailing/blogging, and making sure my kids have something fun to do each day. I just can't seem to fit anything else in. I never thought I'd say this, but my current fitness goal is to squeeze in a measly three workouts each week -- and lots of times I can only do two! There are so many other things I want to be doing, but there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day!

Here's a sampling:
1) Actually do something with all the pictures I take. Organize them. Frame them. Order photo books.
2) Plant/tend a vegetable garden
3) Read -- for pleasure and for professional development (i.e. parenting books) :)
4) Decorate my house ... or at least get some things put up on the walls
5) Plan some sort of lesson/project/fun educational activity for Tanner each day
6) Do a Bible Study
7) Create some regular time for myself
8) Add some new/more exciting meals to my repertoire

And those are just the things that are popping into my head right now. You should see how much I come up with when I'm driving in the car or laying in bed at night. And then there are the things I already do, but want to be better at, like disciplining more consistently, eating more healthfully, etc.

I have friends and acquaintances who seem like they are able to do everything. They are organized, their houses are spotless, they are so thoughtful and remember everything. So what am I missing? Perhaps just a little bit of patience and perspective. Those friends of mine may seem to be doing it all, but when I take a step back and really think about it, I doubt they're really doing everything. Let's face it, it's been a busy year! After all, if I plan a little bit in advance, I just might be able to get that garden together by next year. And in a few years, when Jon is done taking classes, maybe then I'll get to do that Bible Study. And what if I made it a goal to finish just one photo project each month ...

I guess it's not the end of the world if I can't fit everything in at once. I guess that's the way life/motherhood is. You do what you can, when you can. And try not to feel guilty about the rest.

I mean, we can't all be Donna now, can we?

Sleep Nazi

Do you see this sweet angel-baby?

Don't you just want to rock him to sleep every night?

And soak up every little cuddle, every smile and sigh?

Well, I do.

Which is why we have a problem, folks. It is time. Time to put my baby to bed drowsy, but awake. Time to let him soothe himself to sleep. If it was left up to me, I would let him sleep in my arms all night. But truly, that's probably not healthy for me, or him. Plus, I have another child to put to bed, too! So endless rocking and soothing just isn't possible. Right now, I usually nurse him right before bed, and he falls asleep while he's eating. Then, I carefully put him in his crib. This was perfect until about 2 weeks ago. Now, as soon as I lay him down in his crib, he starts crying. It never fails. So, I'm trying to let him cry himself to sleep. And it stinks. He just gets SO mad and worked up and screams and screams -- which I could probably get through if I just turned my monitor off, took a shower, kept myself busy with other things. But he gets so upset that he throws up. Which makes me feel TERRIBLE and SAD and also means that I have to change his sheet and his pajamas.

So, what should I do? Do I stick with it? Or do I wait a few more weeks/months and try again? Either way I feel like a terrible mom when it comes to bedtime. I don't remember feeling this bad when it was time to let Tanner cry it out. Then again, he never made himself vomit in the process. Any advice?