Memorial Day

Ahhh, Memorial Day. The official start date of Summer here in Wisconsin. Yesterday was no different, with our hottest day of the year so far, in the upper 80’s. Our poor children weren’t sure what to make of all the heat, and instantly turned into little red sweaty messes.

We went to the Menomonee Falls parade with our friends Ann & Kurt and had a great time. Summer loved sitting in her brand new pink camping chair, collecting candy, and waving to everybody.

She didn’t love the Racing Sausages that stopped by to say hello, however. She started to cry and yelled “NO!” to the poor Frankie Furter, the Hot Dog, as he tried to give her 5.   I think the Bratwurst, or Brett Wurst, was a little offended that she didn’t like him.

Hannah was happy as a clam to sit and watch everything go by.

She was feeling very patriotic and loved waving her little flag!

Meanwhile, I tried not to cry watching the Pearl Harbor vets. We also had our fill of vacation bible school plugs and of course the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies.

Afterwards we went to a fabulous BBQ with lots of our friends. I made these deliciously festive chocolate covered strawberries.

And then it was home for naps! Finally! A lovely day indeed filled with fun, food, friends, and the reminder of why we really have a day off: all of those men and women who selflessly serve for our country. For me, and for you. Let’s always remember why we enjoy the freedoms that we do!    

Gross

I’ve always had a pretty strong stomach. In high school I loved when we dissected frogs and cats and worms in Biology class. At BYU I loved my human anatomy class so much I worked as a TA for it for a semester. (And smelled like formaldehyde for a semester as well.) I handled buckets of hearts, brains, kidneys, and wieners and never flinched.

But there are a few things that I just can’t stomach.

One is watching people spit. That is just straight up nasty. Especially huge loogies. Makes my stomach turn just thinking about it!

Next is watching people kiss and seeing tongue. So disgusting. Nobody wants to see that! Robbie Hart and Julia Sullivan may agree that you may use “church tongue” at the altar (movie, anyone?) but in my opinion the only appropriate place to use and see any tongue is well behind closed doors. Case closed.

Another thing that grosses me out and that I know I would hate to do is wait/bus tables. I can give injections, treat bloody botched circumcisions, and spread the butt cheeks of a 350 pound woman to check for hemorrhoids but the thought of touching a stranger’s used fork, napkin, and plate makes me gag. It just seems so dirty. People have filthy mouths…who knows what’s on those things?

Am I the only one grossed out by random things?

Pullover? No, it’s a cardigan!

Is there anything worse than seeing a cop in your rearview mirror? Yes, yes there is. Seeing a cop in your rearview mirror with his lights on.

I got a speeding ticket on Monday. I hate getting caught. Thing is, I wasn’t even conscientiously speeding! I was just cruising along, going with the flow, jamming out to the JB, debating whether or not to stop at the grocery store and pick up something for dinner or go with what I originally had planned but was not sounding good to me anymore.

Apparently I was going 54 in a 35, but I could see the 45 sign just ahead where it would change. Grr. Since I was caught by a town cop or something like that it was a cheaper ticket. Either way, I have a court date and 4 points on my license. Which brings my total up to 8 or something like that. Ridiculous!!!

I’ve had terrible driving luck since moving to WI. Popped tire, ticket for a U-turn, accident on the freeway, accident in my driveway. I swear I’m not a bad driver, but my record would say otherwise.

Well, mark my words, folks, from this day forward I will never get another ticket for the rest of my life!!! I’m sick of going to traffic court and wondering if I should plead not guilty or no contest, I’m sick of paying for tickets, and I’m sick of that feeling you get when you get pulled over.

This is going to be hard, no doubt. I really like to drive fast. :/

Say aaahhh!

We put Summer on our dental plan this year and today was the day we finally went! We’ve been talking up the dentist this week and how he was going to count her teeth and brush them and get a prize at the end. She was super excited and woke up this morning bright and early and asked if it was time to see the dentist yet. I was hoping we wouldn’t be repeating our at-home excitement for Santa and the Easter Bunny for in-the-moment absolute fright. She was excited as we drove to the dentist (although mostly concerned about why Hannah wasn’t in the car with us…she was at Linda’s. Guess we need to have more dates with just the two of us!) She was excited as we waited in the lobby. And then she got in the chair and she wasn’t quite sure about the whole thing. She didn’t want to open her mouth one bit. But she eventually warmed up.

And after watching mom get her teeth counted and cleaned, and armed with a SpongeBob toothbrush, she was ready to hop back in the chair again. Cartoons on the TV above didn’t hurt either. Look at these eyes…they never looked away!

I was so proud of her for sitting so still and being such a big girl. She picked out her prize at the end---bubbles, of course!

Oh, and no cavities for either of us!

Runts

I’ve had a box of Runts in my car for a week or so (because I forgot to sneak them into the movie theater last weekend) and have been munching on them all week. I’ve forgotten how good they are! When it comes to eating candy in large quantities, I prefer the fruity varieties. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate just as much as the next sleep-deprived pre-menstrual mom, but I can only handle so much in one sitting. Skittles, Starburst, Smarties, Bottle Caps, I love all of those. I especially love that you can buy just the banana ones in those gumball machines in the middle of the mall. I love the taste and how their funky shape feels in my mouth. (And I thought of a bunch of ways to say that and they all sounded dirty so I just went with it. Go ahead with the TWSS’s.)

Anyway, I love that you can buy these at the dollar store, too! Bonus!

And speaking of runts…..this one had her appointment on Thursday and weighed in at 14 lb 10 oz, down a half pound from last week’s visit. She eats a ton, so I’m not sure where she’s hiding it. That puts her in the 2nd percentile. She’s 26 1/4”, which puts her in the 12th. She’s got plenty of chub on those thighs and arms so she’s not starving, she’s just petite!

BUT….she isn’t so hot at putting weight on her legs. And she doesn’t roll or creep or crawl or anything. She sits. Doc is a little concerned about it so she has to be analyzed by someone from the state with the Birth to 3 program just to make sure it’s not anything too serious. And maybe give her some physical therapy. I’m not worried. Summer was over a year before she even crawled. I guess I just have lazy kids. Blame it on their father’s genetics. :)

So we’ll see what they say. I’m sure they’ll just tell me to put her on her legs and tummy more often.

Maybe I should grind up some runts and add them to her food. Fatten her up a bit. It’s working for me!!

9 months!

Hannah is 3/4 of a year today! I don’t have stats because her appointment isn’t until Thursday, but she’s been to the doctor plenty in the past 2 weeks and her last weigh in was 15 lb 2 oz, fully clothed. So still a lightweight. Still in size 1 diapers. Wearing 6-12 month clothes, and those are a little big on her.

I know it sounds soo cheesy and overused, but she really is just the sweetest thing and an absolute joy in our home. She started saying “mamamama” this past week which I’m totally loving. She’s also started clapping. Kind of.   Her rash is pretty much gone, thank goodness. She just looked so sad with it and I felt so helpless.

No teeth yet, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to eat everything. She loves to munch on bread, cheese, bananas, black beans, tomatoes, avocadoes, and her fingers.  

She still sleeps swaddled and with a pacifier. But I worked tonite (I know! shocker!) and the babysitter put her down without it and she still fell asleep. So now I’m thinking of trying to wean her off of it. Hmmm….Anyway, she sleeps from around 6pm to 7-8am, with a snack around 5:30, which also needs to be cut off.

She loves her sister. She loves necklaces, and tries to eat them while still around the wearers neck. She loves to swing. She does not love tummy time. Thus, she does not roll. She does not crawl. She sits. And I’m perfectly happy with that. I always know where she is. :)

And I just love this picture. We should have a caption contest to see what she’s saying! Go!

Fun with food

I can’t believe I didn’t talk about this at Easter. Our first Easter in WI we learned about a tradition I’d never heard of before: butter lambs. It’s butter shaped like a lamb! I love butter, so of course I loved these. We bought one every year for our Easter dinner table. They never quite emerged from the plastic mold perfect, often losing a head or the base. But there it sat, never complaining when we mutilated it for our rolls. A couple of months ago a lady at church said she knew how to make butter lambs and did anyone want to learn how?? Um, yes please!! So we met at her house and she showed us how to make them. And they are sooo much cuter than the store bought variety! Look at my little lamb!!

All you need are 2 sticks of butter and a fine mesh strainer. You better believe I’ll be making these every year from now on!

I’ve been mildly obsessed with decorating sugar cookies ever since I made cookies for Eagle Scouts. We had a talent show/display at church Friday night so I decided to bring some cookies. I don’t know that anyone really saw them, since all the kids grabbed them and ate them within seconds of putting it on the table. They were fun to make, but I didn’t realize until too late that the detail icing was a little to runny. Oh well. I tried a new cookie recipe too, which seemed to hold up better to decorating. Still tasted good, which is a plus. The baseballs were my favorite! These would be perfect for a little boy’s birthday party, right? Or end of the season sports party?

Now I need another reason to make some more!

Mother’s Payday, I mean Day

 (We had to wake Summer up to get ready for church, which never suits her well. She was crying through all of the pictures. I Photoshopped the tears out and luckily some of her sobs look like smiles. What a nut. And my poor sweet Hannah has a crazy viral rash/Roseola and is splotchy from head to toe. Thankfully it doesn’t bother her.)

Too bad every day isn’t Mother’s Day! I could get used to having breakfast made for me, dishes washed, and showered with jewels!

Today was a perfect day. The weather was great and we went on two walks. We listened to great talks in church. I got to spend all day with my cute little family. I’ll admit, it’s nice to have a day dedicated to moms and have everyone appreciate everything you do!

Derrick made breakfast and dinner for me, all of which was delicious. He even washed every single dish, and just now showed me his poor dishpan hands. Ha.

And I was given a gorgeous sterling silver bracelet with Hannah’s birthstone, Peridot. For Summer’s first Mother’s Day I got Garnet earrings. I am totally digging this tradition!

Even though there are some days when I want to rip my hair out and throw my kids (usually my eldest!) out the window, there’s nothing else I’d rather do. I’m so blessed to have the example of so many amazing mothers all around me in my friends and family. And I’m even luckier to have someone like Derrick by my side to do it with.

Hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day!

Winning!!

I love winning things. I enter lots of contests in hopes of winning. As the Beastie Boys said , “It’s like the lotto, you got to be in it to win it!”

I heard about a month-long giveaway that Radio Flyer was doing so I entered. You only had to enter once to be eligible for each daily drawing. I totally forgot that I had even entered when I got an email saying I had won something from Radio Flyer valued between $40 and $160 and that it would be shipping within the week. Jigga wha?!?! Sweet! Of course, I was hoping for the super sweet pimped out wagon with the canopy, but would be happy with pretty much anything. And look what showed up on my doorstep yesterday:

The Radio Flyer Classic Lights and Sounds Trike! How did they know we needed pink?? I haven’t opened the box yet because I’m really still deciding if I want to sell it and exchange it for the wagon. We don’t have a trike yet so this could be a good addition to our outdoor toys. Plus, the huge Jackson rummage is next weekend and we may find some good stuff there. We’ll see.

But the moral of the story is….enter contests! You may just win!

And let’s revisit 1998 a little shall we, speaking of the Boys of Beastie.

Things I’m loving

Despite being sick all week (pink eye and viral infections), and having sick kids (pink eye and colds) for going on 2 weeks, there are a few things that still brighten my day.

My flowers are blooming out front, despite nature’s attempt at keeping them in hibernation. And I got to thinking, “why should my neighbors across the street get to see them all day?” So I snipped some Hyacinths and brought them in, so I get to enjoy them all day long. They make our house smell amazing, and they are just so darn pretty in a simple bud vase. My Narcissus are next to come in. But really I just can’t wait for my Peonies out back to start blooming. Drop dead gorgeous. Makes me want to plant tons of bulbs for next year. But I’m terrified I’ll kill them. We cut back the lavender in the fall and it still hasn’t come back to life yet. If they don’t grow our front beds will look awfully barren. At least the roses are starting to come up.

Next up: Lemon Buddies! Allow me to introduce you to the cool, laid back, beachy cousin of the rugged, chocolaty Muddy Buddy. It’s like popping a little bit of sunshine in your mouth. Over, and over, and over again. I found these little dudes while perusing Pinterest, which I know I’ve talked about before, but seriously, it’s so addicting. Not only can I catalog things that I find for future reference, but I have found so many new recipes, crafts, and decor ideas. Love, love, love it.

And last but certainly not least: Pigtails!! At last! Nothing makes this mama’s heart beat faster than a babe with gobs of hair. And while this child was born with plenty, some of it has decided to jump ship, and the rest just hasn’t grown that much. Summer was in piggies at 6 months, and I have been lamenting the fact that Hannah is practically bald in comparison. I gave Summer vitamins religiously when she was a baby and Hannah…not so much. I was sure that’s why her hair wasn’t growing. So I started again. Now she has mini-piggies. Coincidence? You be the judge. 

And this little girl, despite having a double ear infection and double pink eyes, has still been as sweet as ever. I just want to eat her up. And luckily for me, she usually lets me. What a dear.