My Boys

So ... we were heading out the door to a birthday party for Friend Adair. It was going to be a princess party with nothing but girls, so I made sure the boys looked their best. And I plopped them down on the couch just before loading them in the Mommy Car to take a few pictures of them clean and wrinkle free. Yes, their adorableness is what keeps me going, diaper after diaper, spit-up after spit-up.

...

Consequently, I didn't get the email that the party had been canceled. I chose to bake a cake while the boys were napping instead of check my email. You can see where my priorities lie! I didn't realize what was going on until I pulled up in our friend's driveway and there were no other cars there. But Mrs. Amy was ever so kind and invited us in to play for a bit. It was lovely to see her and visit with her mom and grandma.

This past week, I most certainly did ...

NOT ignore Andy's plea for a new feather pillow because I knew it would be worse than his work clothes ordeal (3 trips to JCPenney customer service to make returns and 1 online order). My husband is NOT sleeping on a pillow that used to be in our dog's kennel (from 4 years ago!). Most definitely NOT!

NOT put my whitening toothpaste on the little, toddler Lightning McQueen toothbrush at 11pm. I am on top of my game at all hours!

NOT turn around and yell at my 2 year old to "Be quiet! Don't say another word until we get to the grocery store!" And then proceed to ignore his incessant pleas from the backseat: "I can't be quiet, Mommy! I can't! I can't!!" as he kicked my seat furiously. I am a hands-on-mom and never shirk parental opportunities to discipline or redirect. Never!

NOT fall asleep at 2am after reading 90 pages of a self-indulgent book after watching Sunday Night Football (note: I live on the East Coast). There was most definitely NOT a 6 month white onesie lying next to my pillow, reeking of spit-up from where I had taken it off of Ashton earlier in the day when I was attempting to take a nap to catch up on some sleep but Ashton decided to stay awake, play with his feet and occasionally spit-up next to me, eventually crowding me off the king size bed and forcing me to get up and properly put him down to nap in the comfort of his own bedroom. I never take naps and never ignore my children, NEVER!


Don't have a blog or too chicken to leave your Not Me's there? Just leave your Not Me's in the comments of this post so we can all enjoy them.

Out on the Town with the Boys

Last week, we got out early (ok, so it was 11:15, but YOU try getting 2 little boys fed and dressed and ready for a morning out!). We hit up Starbucks and the library. I started going out on "dates" with Aiden when he was just a month old and we've kept it up over the years. Usually once a month we go out and we focus on social etiquette, social rules and table manners. Whenever I designate a day for a date, I seem to go into "Mommy-Mantra" and we have such a good time. (ie, I don't freak out over anything or get stressed out). It is such a memorable event for me and I hope the boys will look back on our dates as sweet memories.

Aiden and his "sack snack"





Yes, I only shell out the Star"bucks" for myself. The boys will have to grow a few feet before they can enjoy a mocha!

Not So Happy

"Mom, is this really necessary???"


"I haven't been around too long, but I think I've already figured out I don't like wearing hats!"



Ashton is such a good sport! He didn't cry, he just scowled. But isn't he adorable! My Aunt Kim made this hat for Aiden when he was little and now Little gets to wear it. Notice that it's Broncos colors. Precious!

Handsome Ham

Peechoo in the Jumperoo

Well, it's not the best cinematography I've ever done (it's was early, ok?!). But it is a great example of how happy our Little is ... at ALL hours of the day!

Thoughts in the Kitchen

All throughout my girlhood, all I wanted was to be a grown-up. My dad would always chastise me for "acting like an old woman" and I thrust myself into Bible studies that were far advanced beyond my years. I yearned, I longed to shrug off the chains of childhood and be an adult. Well, somehow it happened. I am all grown up now: been married for 6 years, had a corporate career for 5 years, have 2 boys and a townhouse. I am quite involved in church, have a bazillion friends and want to become active in local politics. Everything I wanted, right? Sigh. Not so much. As I bake cookies, wash dishes and plan tonight's dinner meal, I feel let down. Is this all it's cracked up to be? I worked so hard for 25 years for this?! Right now I would just love to hear my mom say, "Aub, your bedroom is clean and your homework done. Go outside. Go outside and play and don't come back in the house until I call you for dinner!" Ah, those were the days! Challenging boys, pulling wagons, riding my bike, trying to include my little brother in big girl games. Now my life has almost come full circle. The pitter-patter of little feet is constant in my own house. So I take a deep breath and mentally pop my self-absorbed bubble. Standing in my cozy kitchen, rolling out cookies, I ponder what God has in store for me now. All the experiences of my childhood led to just this moment in time. One less experience and I wouldn't be who I am right now. Tears sting my eyes and a lump rises in my throat. A flood of emotions of my parents' sacrifices, a perfect childhood and a childlike faith in the God of universe that I have always sought to discover. If only the future could be as sweet. Oh, Lord! Please let it be as sweet and even sweeter for the 2 angels you have given me.

Click here to listen to a song that helped lift my spirits. It's by my all-time favorite group Avalon and it is a narrative from God to His child. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0rEX2phHow

Long Time, No Visit to the Dentist

Patty, the hygienist looked at my chart today and said, "So you haven't had a cleaning in ... [papers rustling] ... in ... well, it looks like a couple of years."
She was right. And even though she was singing praises over my clean teeth, the xrays told a different story.
Patty: "Oh. That's a shame. Do you see this dark spot on the xray?"
Me: "That dark spot?"
Patty: "Uh-huh."
Me: "That looks like the space in between my teeth."
Patty: "Well, it's a cavity. A big one, in fact."
Guess I'll be taking her word for it, as I am scheduled to go in for a filling next month. Grr! I'm not mad about the cavity, but the fact that I take good care of my teeth and still can't avoid making Andy shell out money!

Aiden v. Big Potty

Last Thursday, that's 5 (count them, 5!) whole days ago Aiden began being potty trained. What prompted me? Ashton had a cold and was sleeping a lot and I figured if we were stuck in the house for a few days (so as not to propagate nor contract germs) we might as well begin the process I have been putting off for a year. So it began around 10am. We set the timer for 10 minutes and every beep meant a trip to the potty. Luckily, we have a 1/2 bath off the kitchen, so convincing Aiden to interrupt his playtime wasn't too difficult. The rest is pretty self explanatory. Countless stickers, 10 "misses", 6 (or maybe it's 7) new matchbox cars, and 5 days later Aiden has this thing down! He loves his underwear and hates to "make Mommy sad" when he pee-pee's in them. Andy and Sara have been wonderful cheerleaders and we couldn't have made this accomplishment in such a short time without their assistance. Thanks to all my mommy friends who have inspired me: Amy M., Amy H., Ana, Jen, Emily, Denise and of course, Andrea! (Not to forget: Mom, Sharon and Gigi!) We have arrived! (So has our grocery bill, which should go down by a good $40 a month - bye-bye diapers! Well, at least during the day. Night time is another matter for another time and place. LOL)

The unsuspecting test subject - focused on PBS Kids


Checkin' out the underwear



Enjoying new-found "freedom"


Waiting


And waiting


And ... whoa! It happened! Bring out the party blowers, stickers, special ribbon and new matchbox car!!!


Mouthing "My new slugbug!"


Mommy is very proud of her Big Boy!

Community Day

After a rough morning at home (spit up everywhere, 3rd day of potty training, the biggest poo-blowout of Ashton's life) we finally made it out the door to our local Community Day. What Fun!

Andy won the gray shirt he's wearing for answering this question correctly: What is the maximum thickness of a cardboard box that can be stored next to your furnace?? Any guesses?


Local Volunteer Fire Dept and their trucks




Poor Peechoo was stuck in the stroller






Aiden loved the firetrucks but the full-geared firefighter was just a bit overwhelming


The goat and sheep were more on his comfort level









The local Democratic chapter had a booth full of pamphlets but the GOP was giving out free ice cream. That's what we're talking about!


Ashton is now long enough to kick Big Brother - Aiden thought it was the funniest thing ever, which got Little Brother laughing too!


The answer to the question is: Zero. Andy had this smug look on his face when he answered. (Must be all that safety training he receives at work!) Our neighbor and I didn't even try to answer, especially after the firefighter told Andy he was correct. We laughed at each other out loud, because we both knew we were thinking of a numbered thickness for that cardboard!

Constitution Day

Happy Constitution Day! Fly the flag, read the Constitution at the dinner table, and relish in the words that give us our American freedoms. Then take a few more minutes and reflect on the ultimate freedom from sin that Jesus gave us by dying on the cross and rising from the grave. Oh what a true constitution!

^{From Romans 3:
But now, a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.}

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/constitution/text.html

Political Humor

If you didn't know, I studied politics in college and although I am consumed with raising a family at the moment, I still enjoy dabbling in political intrigue whenever I get a minute.

This picket just cracks me up because at the moment I am very, very familiar with diapers and what they are capable of holding!


Why haven't I heard of WALNUT?! Workers Against Lazy Non-Producers United Together — the conservative answer to ACORN. I love it!


Now go out and watch Fox News!

Autumn Decor, Counter Cookies & Dinner

My neighbor, Anna has had her autumn decor up since September 1st, so it was high time I got my bum in gear! Today was declared a stay-at-home day (ok, minus my quick run in town for foundation ... I was completely out!!). We broke out the fall totes and went to town! Aiden had a great time seeing all the surprises in the boxes and he was thrilled with the pumpkin theme.


And of course, it's football season (Andrea, let's commiserate together!).
We root for the Denver Broncos in our house, occasionally the Cardinals cuz they're from Arizona, and whoever is starring on Andy's 2 fantasy football teams.







I wanted Aiden to model this blanket. He kept moving so much ... 3rd picture was a charm, even though he wasn't smiling (I had just yelled at him "Be still!" I rarely raise my voice at him, and it scared him into sitting still!).





Aiden thought it was such a funny idea to put the cookies in the pumpkin jar instead of the normal cookie jar.


Not paying attention

Half paying attention

Asking me to take a picture of his half-eaten pretzel stick


Dinner was leftover stew - Aiden rejected it the first night, so I broke out the chicken nugs tonight. But I guess he was full from all the pretzels. Bad Mommy!



And Aiden dancing around the living room after dinner


Thanks for sharing the day with us! Hope your day was as much fun!