Callie is NINE months!

We're getting closer to one year! The only thing I can think of that Callie is doing a lot of at this month is getting into everything!! She is busy busy busy and loves to climb stairs and get into drawers. Some of our child proof locks have come off the cabinets and I found her eating pretzels the other day(and I only let her out of my sight for a minute.) She is silly and full of energy. I think she is getting Brent wrapped tighter around her finger every day now with her smiles.

The latest injury...

Tate fell off a chair today at our friend's house. He was just sitting there and fell off. He cut open his top lip really bad, it bled a lot and there was a giant piece of skin hanging of his lip(I about passed out). The poor kid!! I am thinking of starting a tally of his injuries...and a savings account for all the crutches, braces, doctor bills, etc... Right now he has a top lip that would give any botox gal lip envy.

Playdough!

There's a couple things I've been puzzled about with my camera, so I got out the manual last night and figured them out. I had fun taking some pictures of the kids playing play dough this morning:(yes, Tate is wearing a leopard costume)







We were unable to go to ECFE this morning b/c the boys are both sick with a terrible cough and constantly running nose. I'm bummed we couldn't go b/c this was our last one for the year. I'm taking them to the doctor this afternoon to be sure its nothing serious b/c we are heading to Iowa next week. I am SO very ready for the snot to be over! Callie has been waking in the night numerous times, so the added no sleep thing is not fun either. Hopefully we will be over the worst of it soon!

Hunter wanted a toothpick while we were playing play dough b/c he got some play dough in one of his cars tires, but he asked if he could have a "toothpoke". I thought that was cute.

Pictures...

Well, its been a week since I've posted a picture! That's probably some sort of record. Here's some pics for you:

As I was giving the boys their haircuts this morning(Hunter went first), Tate came over and held his hand and kept saying, "Be brave". It was SO CUTE!!!! Tate is such a sweetheart! I had to stop and take a picture of it.

I let the boys have some chap stick a couple days ago, and they came into the kitchen this morning(luckily before bath time) with chap stick ALL OVER their faces. I don't know if you can see it or not, but its covering Hunter's face, even his eyebrows:(this made holding his face while cutting his hair REALLY DIFFICULT!)


Here's one of Tate with his crayon hat from ECFE. I think we were playing mosters or pirates or something:


This was of our first snow last Saturday. The boys wanted to go outside immediately and drug up all of their snow gear. Hunter said he wanted to brush all the snow off the porch and make it into a snowman. But...they settled for licking the steps instead.

And last but not least, here are some of Miss Smiley:

Thursday, Bloody Thursday

Well, its been quite an evening around here. I'm not feeling very well right now, I've got a headache and my stomach isn't feeling well. It just hit me around 4 this afternoon, so I called Brent to see when he'd be home. He was on his way, so I was relieved. However, not a minute later Tate pushed Callie down while she was standing and she fell and hit her mouth. She cut that thing that hangs from your top gums to your lip pretty bad. It bled A LOT. She cried hysterically for 10 minutes straight, poor thing. I felt even worse after that b/c I don't like the sight of blood. She is doing fine now, thankfully. The blood did not end there, however. Tate and Hunter pulled out all the pillows, blankets and any other covering they could find and placed it on me while I was laying on the couch. Later, after I took them off me, they started jumping from the couch to the pile of blankets/pillows on the floor. Hunter got carried away and drug/pushed Tate down on the floor. Tate hit his head REALLY HARD on the record cabinet and it started bleeding badly. Brent took care of that one. I am a little nervous b/c he hit his head so hard, but he seems to be acting normal. I sat him on my lap with an ice pack for as long as he would allow. I was looking at the poor guy while icing his head. He's got a scar from when he cut his eyebrow open, a chipped front tooth from when he fell on the tile, and currently he has a scratch mark and bruise on his cheek. He really is quiet the "bruiser". Much like his dad was I imagine. I sure hope he grows out of this accident prone trend. I think I would surely pass out if he ever breaks a bone.

In completely unrelated news, Hunter now has a new name for our Balmex. He was bringing it to Brent tonight as he was changing Tate's diaper and he called it "penis cream". We good a chuckle out of that. I hope he calls it the right name if we are in public;)

Call me Mrs Crabby

Ooi! I am having one of those days today. I can feel my hormones racing through my tired body. Tate and Callie have come down with a cold. Callie had a small fever last night. I think she's teething, but I don't think she got the cold b/c of that. Tate tends to be on the drooly side normally, so add in a cold and you've got one big snotty, drooly mess on your hands. I've been following him around with tissues today, as well as Callie.

Why can't I just do ONE THING at a time??????? Why do I always have to be doing a bizillion things at once. Its so easy for me to get forty things going at once and then get really stressed about it. This morning was no exception as I started making a batch of pizza dough(for a play date that may or may not take place tomorrow...I've got to warn the mommies of the cold my kids have first) AND the boys and I were making oatmeal raisin cookies(also for the play date). When I needed to knead the dough I gave the boys a couple crackers and they managed to crush them all over my clean floors. Can I just say HOW TIRED I am of sweeping my floor?!? I can't have one crumb on the floor b/c Callie loves to crawl under the table and I don't want her eating anything she finds. So, when I tried to sweep the cracker crumbs up Callie was right under my feet, trying as hard as she could to help herself to what I was sweeping up. This happens quiet often. Mostly I just put her in her Johny or excersuacer, but she wasn't happy with that today. Thankfully, Hunter is big enough to pick her up and after I asked him to come get her, he kept her company so I could finish the floor. And then there is the laundry that will not only quit, I'm pretty sure it multiplies while it is waiting to go in. I've done three loads so far today and I've got one more waiting to be put in. And its not like I wait till there is a lot there, no, I do laundry every day! The boys broke a stand up mirror I had for them in their playroom this morning, so I had to get out my trusty broom for that mess, also. Then, when dropping Hunter off at school, Tate got so upset that he couldn't stay that I had to carry him(while he was screaming) and Callie to the van. It was quiet a spectacle. Basically, I'm just having one of those, "all I do is pick up messes and wipe things" days. Sigh.

It's so hard to find that balance between keeping your house clean and tidy(an almost impossible task if you ask me) and making sure you spend enough time with your kids, reading and playing and interacting with them. I don't know how to figure out the balance. I'm sure I could let a few things go with the house, but it does need to be cleaned....but the kids need to be given attention to also. I try to read to them at least 30 mins each day, I try to get on the floor and play with them, we bake together, sometimes clean together and we pretend together. I just feel like its still not enough. And I feel like the house is not getting cleaned enough. What to do! And don't even get me started on one on one time....

At least Auntie Anna is up to save the day by watching the kids while I go to get my hair cut!

I'm going to go try to get out of my funk.

The Thankful Tree

As I was looking up ideas for things for the kids and I to do together the other day I came across this idea and we made it yesterday. We are going to add one leaf each every day until Thanksgiving with something we are thankful for. So far the boys have been thankful for mommy and daddy. Hunter told me that tomorrow he is going to be thankful for Lightning McQueen and Tate said he's going to be thankful for Mater. Here is a picture of our tree: