When I decided to have kids I made the decision to only have boys. I know girls are cute and stuff but since I knew I would be having four children I knew I wanted to make the most economical choice for our family. After lots of internal debate I came to the conclusion that boys are cheaper. Here are my reasons.
1. Wrestling is the preferred method of play and that is free!
2. Home buzz cuts save a small fortune.
3. We never have to buy them scrunchies, curling irons, blow dryers, special hair products, etc.
4. No feminine products
5. No bras or makeup
6. Soap is often forgotten when taking a shower which means the soap lasts forever.
7. Boys hardly ever need toilet paper, cha-ching!
8. Boys don't care what they wear. They can get by with only three outfits and would be perfectly cool with that.
9. Boys only need one pair of shoes. Sneakers. That's it.
10. Hotwheels and dirt are much cheaper than Barbies and tea sets.
The list could go on but these were the big ones. Although the biggest reason for me choosing to have boys is not on the list since it doesn't have anything to do with money. The main reason for having boys is so I won't have to go through the Hell I put my mom through when I was a rabid teenage girl.
Plus boys are mama's boys.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Ryan's House
This past Saturday we spent the afternoon hanging out by the pool at Ryan's house. We got to visit with friends that were in town visiting, and as usual, we chowed down on lots of good grub.
We also got to meet Keri's sweet baby girl Harper for the first time. She is so cute! With eyes that pretty her mama is going to have boys lining up at the door.
Kaci, little baby Jack in her tummy, and Harper.
James thought it was funny to watch Harper crawl on the floor. He even started crawling with her. He didn't like her to touch anything though so he would take everything away from her and give it to me. He especially didn't like her playing with Marcus' sandal or the cat toys. We'll have to work on sharing.
We spent most of the day by the pool. Sadly, as usual, I hardly took any pictures of the adults. Most of the pics were the kids doing sweet trick jumps into the pool
Like jack knives
We forgot to bring James' swim trunks so he had to settle for Harper's Dora swim diaper. He was sort of embarrassed.
He got over it real soon when Ron took him into the pool. He was in 18 month old heaven.
Keri's back, Harper's back, Ryan's back, half of Ron's head, James, and the back of Jason's head. I am a terrific picture taker.
The water in the pool was FREEZING so the hot tub was the place to be when hypothermia set in.
Thanks Ryan and family, we had a blast!
We also got to meet Keri's sweet baby girl Harper for the first time. She is so cute! With eyes that pretty her mama is going to have boys lining up at the door.
Kaci, little baby Jack in her tummy, and Harper.
James thought it was funny to watch Harper crawl on the floor. He even started crawling with her. He didn't like her to touch anything though so he would take everything away from her and give it to me. He especially didn't like her playing with Marcus' sandal or the cat toys. We'll have to work on sharing.
We spent most of the day by the pool. Sadly, as usual, I hardly took any pictures of the adults. Most of the pics were the kids doing sweet trick jumps into the pool
Like jack knives
We forgot to bring James' swim trunks so he had to settle for Harper's Dora swim diaper. He was sort of embarrassed.
He got over it real soon when Ron took him into the pool. He was in 18 month old heaven.
Keri's back, Harper's back, Ryan's back, half of Ron's head, James, and the back of Jason's head. I am a terrific picture taker.
The water in the pool was FREEZING so the hot tub was the place to be when hypothermia set in.
Thanks Ryan and family, we had a blast!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
That is so typical
In case you didn't know, I have a serious weakness. My achilles heal is recipe following. I can not follow a recipe correctly to save my life! I almost always screw up a measurement, omit a key ingredient (like the time I forgot the cinnamon in the monkey bread I made for a work potluck), or put in a completely different ingredient than what was called for. Oh yeah, I have really done that.
This time I was making cookies to take to a barbecue we were going to today. Ryan loves my chocolate chip cookies (which is actually my mom's chocolate chip cookies) and requests them whenever we go to his house. I intended to make a double batch but somehow quadrupled the chocolate chips. I didn't figure it out until it was too late.
AHHHH! WHY DO I ALWAYS DO THAT!
This time I was making cookies to take to a barbecue we were going to today. Ryan loves my chocolate chip cookies (which is actually my mom's chocolate chip cookies) and requests them whenever we go to his house. I intended to make a double batch but somehow quadrupled the chocolate chips. I didn't figure it out until it was too late.
AHHHH! WHY DO I ALWAYS DO THAT!
So, instead of baking cookies for a couple of hours I got to make a quadruple batch of cookies and spend the next six hours baking them.
I think I was the only one that was disappointed by my mistake.
My taste testers clearly weren't disappointed.
Live and learn I guess. Hopefully.
Jason and James have been best buds lately. Their new favorite game to play together is follow the leader. James insists on being the leader at all times though.
Why doesn't anyone ever put clothes on that baby? Seriously, what kind of lazy parents does he have?!
A good big brother even pretend falls when the leader accidentally takes a tumble.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
One of those days
You know it's not your day when while blogging your computer crashes and you have to start over. Twice.
Mike and I are both a little sleep deprived thanks to the chunky monkey. I don't know if it is teeth coming in or what but he has been waking up every two hours for the past couple of nights only to be up for good at around 5:30.
This is what our day looked like
Whiney, but not crying.
Followed by crying hysterically.
This is his happy face.
The evening wasn't any better.
Generally miserable.
More tears and wailing.
Poor baby, I'm sure it's those teeth coming in but that crying just doesn't stop. Mama was at her wits end and short on patience. I was really missing Mike. Sometimes it's hard with him not being home in the afternoons. We miss him. Especially on nights like this one.
Marcus was having a bad day too. His throat hurt, his tummy hurt, his fingernails hurt, he misses Mike a lot, he was starving, he had to take a shower, he still can't get "who" and "could" correct in his flashcards, and Nathan got to drink the last of the lemonade.
Anyway, I know I am complaining but it's been one of those days.
There was a happy part.
Mike knew I needed a little cheering up. My sweet husband had flowers waiting for me when I got off work and a brand new book all wrapped up. I think he likes me.
I like him too.
Mike and I are both a little sleep deprived thanks to the chunky monkey. I don't know if it is teeth coming in or what but he has been waking up every two hours for the past couple of nights only to be up for good at around 5:30.
This is what our day looked like
Whiney, but not crying.
Followed by crying hysterically.
This is his happy face.
The evening wasn't any better.
Generally miserable.
More tears and wailing.
Poor baby, I'm sure it's those teeth coming in but that crying just doesn't stop. Mama was at her wits end and short on patience. I was really missing Mike. Sometimes it's hard with him not being home in the afternoons. We miss him. Especially on nights like this one.
Marcus was having a bad day too. His throat hurt, his tummy hurt, his fingernails hurt, he misses Mike a lot, he was starving, he had to take a shower, he still can't get "who" and "could" correct in his flashcards, and Nathan got to drink the last of the lemonade.
Anyway, I know I am complaining but it's been one of those days.
There was a happy part.
Mike knew I needed a little cheering up. My sweet husband had flowers waiting for me when I got off work and a brand new book all wrapped up. I think he likes me.
I like him too.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Allergies
The good news is I did not pass on the same allergies that I suffer from to them.
The bad news is that it seems that the boys suffer from a rare form of allergy that their doctor has no cure for. I noticed it a few years back when the boys seemed to be inside the house all day long. I figured it was just the summer heat at first and just ignored it. Then when fall came around and the weather was beautiful but still no children were frolicking outdoors I knew something was terribly wrong. The light bulb finally went off when I tried to send the kids outside and they pleaded with me not to send them out there. Their bodies quivered with fear and their eyes were welling up with tears. Nathan begged me to let him clean the house instead. Jason asked if he could take care of James in exchange for the presidential pardon.
I was desperate. I wanted my boys to be healthy. Allergies are terrible and I hate to see them suffer. I decided to give them a very large dose of mandatory outdoor time and lo and behold, we found the cure!
The first twenty minutes were torture. They scratched and clawed at the locked door. They pouted and they yelled but I held firm. Then the miracle happened. They started playing.
They wrestled, they laughed, they got dirty and sweaty, and they were actually happy. Miracles do happen.
James also seems to have gotten bit by the allergy bug. His has manifested into a crib allergy. His crib makes him feel so miserable that today he actually climbed out of it all by himself. Poor baby, he must be just suffering in there to want to get away so bad he feels the need to jump. I think I have just the cure for this one. A crib lid.
Now if I could just find a cure for their towel bar allergy....
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Some random lists
Things I claim to be my favorite hobbies to others:
1. Reading
2. Cooking
3. Photography
4. Interior decorating
5. Baking
In reality I classify those as fun work, these are my real hobbies:
1. Eating
2. Sleeping
3. Internet browsing
4. Playing video games with the boys
5. Blogging
Things that I would be happy to never experience again:
1. The dentist
2. Caring for a baby with chronic diarrhea
3. Crab legs
4. Acne
5. Being accosted by a butterfly
6. Natural labor
Things I never knew I loved until 2009:
1. The Office
2. Starbucks
3. Elastic banded clothing
4. Onion bagels
5. Magic erasers
Things the boys do that drive me insane:
1. Leave their dirty socks EVERYWHERE
2. Miss the bowl and leave it for me to sit on/step in
3. Decide to be as loud as possible during James' nap time
4. Impersonate chief Thunderfoot on the second floor
5. Tell on each other for every. single. little. thing.
Things boys need to be reminded:
1. Number two does require wiping
2. Dry off after the shower
3. Our house is not their personal wrestling ring
4. Basketball shorts and button up shirts don't go together
5. Not everyone finds their bodily noises amusing
1. Reading
2. Cooking
3. Photography
4. Interior decorating
5. Baking
In reality I classify those as fun work, these are my real hobbies:
1. Eating
2. Sleeping
3. Internet browsing
4. Playing video games with the boys
5. Blogging
Things that I would be happy to never experience again:
1. The dentist
2. Caring for a baby with chronic diarrhea
3. Crab legs
4. Acne
5. Being accosted by a butterfly
6. Natural labor
Things I never knew I loved until 2009:
1. The Office
2. Starbucks
3. Elastic banded clothing
4. Onion bagels
5. Magic erasers
Things the boys do that drive me insane:
1. Leave their dirty socks EVERYWHERE
2. Miss the bowl and leave it for me to sit on/step in
3. Decide to be as loud as possible during James' nap time
4. Impersonate chief Thunderfoot on the second floor
5. Tell on each other for every. single. little. thing.
Things boys need to be reminded:
1. Number two does require wiping
2. Dry off after the shower
3. Our house is not their personal wrestling ring
4. Basketball shorts and button up shirts don't go together
5. Not everyone finds their bodily noises amusing
Friends
A new school is a big change. New teachers, new routines, no friends. Up until last week none of the boys had even really made any friends. Well except for Marcus who has lots of friends but doesn't know even one of their names.
Not having friends is hard for Jason, he is a social butterfly, and needs friends in order to function, so he thinks. He already joined the school newspaper and was practically begging me to let him join band too.
I caved.
Apparently, the clarinet was his calling. I went on a scavenger hunt last week to track down a clarinet to rent, reeds, a stand, and something called cork grease which looks a lot like a tube of chapstick.
Whenever Jason graces our house with his melodies James thinks it is the funniest thing ever. Every toot gets a belly laugh.
Secretly I am hoping Jason meets some nice band kid friends. I know I am profiling but, I bet there are a lot less wannabe gangster kids playing in band.
As for Nathan, he finally made a friend this week in the most unlikely of ways. Nathan can be weird sometimes. I was picking the boys up after school and we were standing around waiting for Jason to come. A boy walked up to Nathan and stood next to him to talk. He said hi to Nathan and Nathan's response was to tell the boy to go away. So rude! The boy was being real nice and Nathan was just being mean. But honestly that is how he is sometimes. It's frustrating.
I was so disappointed in how he behaved that I made him write a letter to that boy apologizing to him. He had to give it to the boy the next day at school and I spoke with his teacher to make sure he did. I never would have guessed that the very next day they would be friends and would be walking home together. I never would have seen that coming.
Only when you are a kid would that ever happen.
Remember how I told you James likes inappropriate toys? I guess the pots and pans fall in the fun category now too.
Not having friends is hard for Jason, he is a social butterfly, and needs friends in order to function, so he thinks. He already joined the school newspaper and was practically begging me to let him join band too.
I caved.
Apparently, the clarinet was his calling. I went on a scavenger hunt last week to track down a clarinet to rent, reeds, a stand, and something called cork grease which looks a lot like a tube of chapstick.
Whenever Jason graces our house with his melodies James thinks it is the funniest thing ever. Every toot gets a belly laugh.
Secretly I am hoping Jason meets some nice band kid friends. I know I am profiling but, I bet there are a lot less wannabe gangster kids playing in band.
As for Nathan, he finally made a friend this week in the most unlikely of ways. Nathan can be weird sometimes. I was picking the boys up after school and we were standing around waiting for Jason to come. A boy walked up to Nathan and stood next to him to talk. He said hi to Nathan and Nathan's response was to tell the boy to go away. So rude! The boy was being real nice and Nathan was just being mean. But honestly that is how he is sometimes. It's frustrating.
I was so disappointed in how he behaved that I made him write a letter to that boy apologizing to him. He had to give it to the boy the next day at school and I spoke with his teacher to make sure he did. I never would have guessed that the very next day they would be friends and would be walking home together. I never would have seen that coming.
Only when you are a kid would that ever happen.
Remember how I told you James likes inappropriate toys? I guess the pots and pans fall in the fun category now too.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Fisher Price is boring
James really despises anything that he is allowed to play with. In fact, if you try to give him a ball or a toy car it usually causes him to go into convulsions onto the floor. This is sure to be followed by screaming, kicking, and a displeased look from mom.
That is our new routine doesn't that sound fun!
Instead of his dumb baby toys, James has professed his love to anything with a button, switch, door, latch, knob, and so on and so on. His sudden infatuation with the plug outlets and cabinet doors sparked an emergency trip to Walmart last week for baby proofing paraphernalia. His new favorite activity is one that dad came up with one day while I was working. It's called flip the switch.
Dad parks a chair underneath the runway of light switches and plops James on the chair. He will stand there for an entire half hour flipping those switches and giggling each time a light goes on or off.
After a half hour I am sick of the strobe light show in the kitchen, but who could deny that smile of his simple pleasure. I am just hoping real toys come back in style some time soon.
That is our new routine doesn't that sound fun!
Instead of his dumb baby toys, James has professed his love to anything with a button, switch, door, latch, knob, and so on and so on. His sudden infatuation with the plug outlets and cabinet doors sparked an emergency trip to Walmart last week for baby proofing paraphernalia. His new favorite activity is one that dad came up with one day while I was working. It's called flip the switch.
Dad parks a chair underneath the runway of light switches and plops James on the chair. He will stand there for an entire half hour flipping those switches and giggling each time a light goes on or off.
After a half hour I am sick of the strobe light show in the kitchen, but who could deny that smile of his simple pleasure. I am just hoping real toys come back in style some time soon.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Chillin with Dad
Saturday we spent the day just preparing for Sunday. Mike and I are both in two football leagues. One of them I run myself. According to Mike, that makes me the coolest wife ever.
Sunday was the start of the season and we were going to hang out at my mom's since she gets every single football game on tv. Since we were going to be gone all day I wanted the house and laundry all cleaned up for the weekend.
In the afternoon, Mike took the boys to the park behind the house so I could get some cleaning done. I have learned that cleaning is futile with four children roaming the house.
Sunday was the start of the season and we were going to hang out at my mom's since she gets every single football game on tv. Since we were going to be gone all day I wanted the house and laundry all cleaned up for the weekend.
In the afternoon, Mike took the boys to the park behind the house so I could get some cleaning done. I have learned that cleaning is futile with four children roaming the house.
They tossed around the football for a while and in between cleaning the toilets and mopping the floor I spied on them through the bedroom window.
Daddy time is special to them. Even more then it used to be since they get to see Mike so little.
Later that evening James got to help Dad fix the vacuum. Apparently I cleaned so much I ran our vacuum into the ground.
James couldn't decide whether it was more fun to try to use the screwdriver properly or to taste it so he did both. Thanks to our walks every afternoon to get the boys from school James has a farmer John tan just like dad. How cute.
The blog is back in session
We have been having lots of fun around here. Lots of family get togethers and lots of football too. Last week we had lots of family over for food and poker. Two of my favorite things. Me and the boys decided to make some special cupcakes for the occasion.
Delicious owl cupcakes with oreos for eyes.
They tasted sooo good. You can never go wrong with chocolate.
We made big owls and little owls.
It was really fun to make them. The hard part was finding all the ingredients. Who knew it was so hard to find M&M minis and Runts candies nowadays. We seriously went to six different stores before we found them. When we finally found them at Party City me and Jason actually did a little celebration dance in the middle of the store.
On a different note let me just say, I don't want to stop blogging. I think some of you mistook my blog break as me saying I didn't want to do it anymore. That is not the case. I love to blog! It's just that I do it for different reasons than you read it. I do it not only for a family journal for the future but also as a creative outlet for me. Sometimes the creativity part is not there for me and a break is just the cure. Plus sometimes it's nice to get out from behind the camera and be part of the action too.
So anyway....
I have lots to share with you over the next couple days. I have officially been blogging now for one year. Friday was my blogaversary!
Delicious owl cupcakes with oreos for eyes.
They tasted sooo good. You can never go wrong with chocolate.
We made big owls and little owls.
It was really fun to make them. The hard part was finding all the ingredients. Who knew it was so hard to find M&M minis and Runts candies nowadays. We seriously went to six different stores before we found them. When we finally found them at Party City me and Jason actually did a little celebration dance in the middle of the store.
On a different note let me just say, I don't want to stop blogging. I think some of you mistook my blog break as me saying I didn't want to do it anymore. That is not the case. I love to blog! It's just that I do it for different reasons than you read it. I do it not only for a family journal for the future but also as a creative outlet for me. Sometimes the creativity part is not there for me and a break is just the cure. Plus sometimes it's nice to get out from behind the camera and be part of the action too.
So anyway....
I have lots to share with you over the next couple days. I have officially been blogging now for one year. Friday was my blogaversary!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
TTFN
I am taking a blog siesta for a bit. Not long, just a week or two to recharge those blogging batteries. Don't be sad, it will be over before you know it and we will be together again.
I promise.
I really don't feel like torturing you with the ranch dressing pictures anymore so I leave you instead with one of my favorite pictures of the three musketeers.
This was taken in Michigan three years ago. They were all dressed up for Nathan and Kaci's wedding. I wish I could remember what made them laugh.
I promise.
I really don't feel like torturing you with the ranch dressing pictures anymore so I leave you instead with one of my favorite pictures of the three musketeers.
This was taken in Michigan three years ago. They were all dressed up for Nathan and Kaci's wedding. I wish I could remember what made them laugh.
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