Memoirs of a Mommy

My Girl Emily

2009-10-13T10:47:00.006-04:00

Today is Emily's Birthday...she turns 3. We celebrated with a small family party on Sunday, which was an adventure of its own. The party started out fun, the kids were playing, the adults were eating, and of course the Ravens game was on. Emily was rolling around on Zachary's little scooter. And she's pretty fast on it. Until she decides to run it into the lip of the tile, flip over forwards and bust her chin open on the tile. All right in front of me. I didn't think it was that bad until we got it cleaned up and saw how wide it was. Off to the Urgent Care we go for stitches...actually, Mike was sweet enough to take her so I could stay home with the family. We were hoping he wouldn't be that long, so we decided to wait it out and eat cake and open presents when they got home. After he got there and signed in, he called me and said that it'll be about an hour, and that he can come home with Emily so we can at least eat cake and sing to her. So, that's what we did. She came home with a swollen chin to eat her birthday cake and play a round of "Pin the Dot on the Ladybug".

Back to Urgent Care they went. THREE HOURS LATER, after everyone left and went home, she came home with a mended chin (they used the dermabond glue, not stitches) to open her presents. She was so tired! But I took pictures of her anyway.

In this picture, you can see the scooter that Emily was on...blue seat with the yellow handle.

What a day! But, at least it was an exciting birthday that no one will forget. Before the chaos, my Mother in Law got a cute picture of all the cousins:

And here she is showing off her glue:

My girl Emily is the funniest three year old that I know. She makes me laugh on a daily basis, which is good because otherwise I'd go crazy. She thanks me for everything....I love this. I will be emptying the dishwasher and she will come over and say: "Thank you for putting the dishes away mommy." Or when I'm feeding the dogs: "Thank you for feeding the dogs mommy." Saying things like this makes a mommy feel loved....even if it does come from a three year old. Happy Birthday Emily!

Happy First Birthday Zachary!

2009-09-01T14:33:00.005-04:00

The video of Zachary's first year...

A Year Has Gone By

2009-09-01T09:03:00.009-04:00

Well, Zachary turned one last week....let me repeat that. Zachary is a year old already!!!! I just can't believe how fast it has gone. I can remember every detail of being in the hospital the day I gave birth....how excited I was, how nervous I was, how bad I wanted Chick-Fil-A but couldn't have it until after delivery, how Mike was reading a book while I was in the pains of labor. (Yeah, ask him about that some day) And then, he was born. I can remember how beautiful he looked, how HUGE he was (10 1/2 pounds!), and how scared we were when he was taken off to the NICU for breathing problems. (Which, thank you God, turned out to be nothing serious.) His first year has been laid back, which I am very thankful for. He's just that kind of baby. He loves music already, he even got a set of bongos for his birthday. His smile is contagious, and it lights up his eyes. He is such a joy to us, Happy First Birthday Zachary!!

And now, some pictures of my Little Man:

Awww, the Birthday Boy

With his new bongo drums

His Lion Cake

Cupcakes for everyone else

He did not even want to touch the cake. Yep, you heard right, HE DIDN'T EAT ANY OF HIS CAKE!!! What is wrong with the boy?

Look at his face, he's so confused. You just eat it Zachary!!

Oh well, at least he got a little messy. I know I'm biased, but boy is he cute!

New Title

2009-07-20T14:07:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking lately about the title of my blog. I know, you're thinking why I'm thinking about such serious thoughts? Well, when I started my blog, I just picked a title that was temporary. I didn't put much, okay, any thought into it. Just the first thing that came to my mind. I'm a big Seinfeld fan...so....anyway. I didn't think I would keep my blog this long to even worry about a more suitable title. Who would've thought that 3 kids could give me so many stories? Coming up with a new name was tough. I wanted something that would shout out "Sue!", so it almost became This Is How I Roll. Because hey, it is. Then I figured that it should have something about my kids in it, like The Prince and His Princesses. But that was too much of a mouthful. How about something to do with staying at home? The Thoughts (and usually ramblings) of a Stay-At-Home Mommy. Nah, too long. So, I finally (with a little help from Mike) came up with a fitting title for my blog. Memoirs of a Mommy. Hmmm, I like it....what do you think? (Not that it would change my mind or anything...just curious) :-)

Good Manners

2009-07-11T19:50:00.006-04:00

Mike and I are trying to teach Emily to use her manners when she speaks to people. Like saying "please" and "thank you". She does really well with the "thank you" part, it's the "please" that we really need to work on. Well, I don't think she understands what I mean when I say to "use your good manners". Yesterday she asks me: "Mommy, can I have some juice?" I tell her to use her good manners, so she says: "Mommy, can I have some juice good manners?"

I need to change professions....

2009-07-07T10:47:00.012-04:00

...to a National Geographic photographer. That's sure what it felt like this morning, except I had two little girls swarming around me. I don't think NG would put up with that. This morning while Little Man was taking his nap, I sent Chloe and Emily outside to play. It's such a beautiful morning, and I have a list of chores I need to get done. I was up inside the tub, mid-scrub, when Chloe came running up telling me about a poor baby bird that fell out of it's nest. Awww, so I followed her outside to show me what she was talking about. Right behind her swing set, she points underneath a bush at a bird that doesn't sound too happy. First off, that wasn't a baby bird...too big. So I asked her where the baby bird was. "It's right there, see? Next to the snake." Oh, right next to the...WHAT?!??! She was so calm about it, like it was a squirrel, or a kitten. I guess that weekend at the cabin did wonders for her. Yes folks, we have a blake snake in our backyard. And even though I was creeped-out to the fullest extent, I couldn't stop taking pictures of it. So I sit there, trying to figure out what was going on between the bird and the snake. The bird was puffed up and squawking at the snake, and there were times that it flew in to peck at it. The snake wasn't having any of that, so I watched it coil and snap at the bird. Fascinating! I quickly figured out that there were two birds, and they just wanted the snake to get lost. Me, I was siding with the birds, cheering them on. After I thought I took enough pictures, (about 15 minutes worth) I gathered the kids and went inside. And don't worry, I kept the girls safely behind me at all times. I don't think that would've done much good if the snake decided it didn't want it's picture taken and started to come after me. But, the girls can run pretty fast, and I think they would be able to outrun the snake. I think the more interest I took in the snake and taking pictures, the more nervous Chloe became. She started saying things like "I'm never ever going to play on my swing set again" (she's saying this as she's swinging) and "Can we call a zoo worker to come and take this snake away?" After we got inside, the girls went down to the playroom and I went back to scrubbing my tub. But I couldn't stop thinking about that snake. I didn't want it in my backyard, and I would feel much better if I knew where it was. I don't know why, but I really wish I could attach a beacon to it somehow. Back outside I went. I get to the spot, and it's gone. Uh oh. I cautiously look around and I found it not far from where I was standing, making it's way to our mulch pile. It was trying to go IN the mulch pile. Well, that wouldn't do. Oh how I wish I were brave (like some people I know) and pick it up by the tail and put it over the fence and into my neighbors yard. I'm sure that they are much more tolerant of snakes. But I couldn't. I watched it bury itself deeper and deeper, until, the birds came back. And madder than ever. While the snake was half-buried, they started to peck at it again. It pulled itself out and started to lunge at them again. The birds grew fearless now, and were pecking furiously at this snake. Which by the way, just looked like he wanted to get away from these crazy birds. Here I am, cheering on the birds as the snake slithers through the fence into my neighbors yard. At least I think it was my neighbors yard and not behind our shed, that's what I keep telling myself so I will be able to sleep at night. Or at least go outside again. Now for the pictures:

The Snake

The Bird

Ohhh, it's looking at me

There it goes, to my mulch pile

Trying to dig in

The bird wasn't having that

Fight, fight, fight!

The face-off

Now there are two birds

And the snake just wants to get away

That's right, you better run-I mean slither!

Looking for a way out

Go...

...go...

...GO!!

My Garden

2009-07-05T12:08:00.005-04:00

I started my garden a little late this year, and I have been waiting very patiently for my crops to come in. Finally! I was able to pick these this morning:

Yep, two cucumbers and a squash. I have lots of tomatoes, but they are still green. I have zucchini that's almost ready, and I have more cucumbers and squash coming. I'm still waiting on my peppers, (jalepeno and green) and my green beans. I see the blossoms, but that's about it. I planted some green onions, but I gave up on those. That's okay though, I'll just try again next year. Hooray for "green living"! :-)

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T19:07:00.004-04:00

This Father's Day, I put together a video for Mike. I love doing this....enjoy!

Relaxing Weekend Away

2009-06-12T10:44:00.023-04:00

First, I want to warn you. This post has lots of pictures. I just couldn't help myself, it was so beautiful there! Oh right, you probably want to know where "there" is. Last weekend, we (as in our family) were invited up to Wellsboro, PA. Dear friends of ours owns a cabin on Pine Creek, which I might add is called the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Now, I'm going to be totally honest with you. I'm not really an outdoor person. I like being outdoors, and I like nature. But, sleeping in a 100 year old cabin with bats, snakes, mice (which you can hear crawling around in the attic) and whatever other sort of wild creatures there are up there did not sound like a fabulous weekend getaway. However, when we pulled up to the cabin, I was just stunned by what I saw. It was beautiful. I didn't forget about the little critters that could be lurking about, but it didn't consume my mind like I thought it would. I had a wonderful time. Hiking, chatting with friends who we don't get to see very often, playing games, and just hanging out with the kids. Speaking of, they have a little boy Chloe's age, a little girl a year and a half older than Emily, and a little boy Zachary's age. They had fun together. I think my nervousness has rubbed off onto Chloe, because she is not an outdoor person either. When we are here at home and she sees a spider, she hits the ground running. And screaming. And flailing. Emily isn't so much, but lately she's been mimicking Chloe because hey, who doesn't want to be like their older sister? (isn't that right Wendy?) I was nervous how she would react to the out-of-doors. And if she would be embarrassed for her new friends to see her running and screaming and flailing. But, she surprised me. Which she usually does in these instances. They played outside the whole entire time. With caterpillars!! Yes, you heard me, caterpillars. She didn't pick them up like her new friends, but she used a stick. Nicely. They even built them a resort out of rocks and leaves on the front porch. It was a good day to be a caterpillar.

I was able to get my run in on Saturday morning, but I was a little nervous. See, the whole ride up there, Mike was telling me about how there are bears roaming around. But not Grizzly's or Kodak bears. Just plain ole' Black bears. Oh, I felt so much better. Ha! I quickly began to rack my brain to see if I'd ever learned what to do if you encounter a bear. I knew that if you came upon a crocodile, you just run zig zag and they can't catch up with you. But somehow I didn't think that would work with a bear. I was later informed that you are supposed to play dead and they'll leave you alone. I wasn't really comfortable with this, but at least I knew. So off I go on my run. If you could only have seen me. It took me a while to enjoy the creek and the beautiful mountains. I was running looking at everything else, making sure I wasn't being stalked by a bear. I was so jumpy, that during my run I came upon a deer that darted across the path right in front of me. I thought for sure it was a bear, and I definitely didn't play dead. I jumped out of my skin and screamed. Yeah, smooth. I don't know who was scared more, me or the deer. After that, I settled down a little and I enjoyed the rest of my run. I ran one mile to the beginning of Turkey path, which is a path UP the side of a mountain. This is what I saw: (I used my phone to take the picture)

Then I ran the mile back to the cabin. Later that day, we decided to hike up Turkey path to the top of the mountain. I think it's a mile one way. So, one mile to get to the path, one mile up to the top, one mile back down, and a mile back to the cabin. For those of you not keeping track, that's four miles. That's on top of the two I already ran that morning. But, we went anyway. With the kids. Crazy? Nah, just adventurous! I had Zachary in a soft carrier on the front of me, Mike had Emily in a backpack, and Chloe walked. Only one of our friends went, and he took his oldest to hang out with Chloe. His wife stayed at home with their other two kids. It was a nice time, except that Emily didn't like being in the backpack so she cried the ENTIRE trip up to the top. We got up there and we didn't even get a picture of the view! Here are some pictures of us on our way up:

Here we are at the top:

Coming back down, we put Zachary in the backpack and Emily just walked with me. She enjoyed that much more. She was very pleasant actually. Zachary fell asleep, and at times Emily started to fall asleep while she was walking.

We made it home in one piece. Sunday was relaxing, and Mike took Chloe fishing. They didn't catch anything, she wasn't too thrilled when she saw the worms and then heard what she had to do with it. Needless to say, Mike baited the hook. Only once. This is when she saw the little box of worms that Mike had. My little drama queen!

Oh, I almost forgot. On the drive to the canyon, there was a small a tiny creek that ran beside the road. I saw a beaver dam in the middle of one part, so Mike pulled over, got out and took pictures. He even saw a beaver swimming around!

Here are some other pictures that I took during our stay:

Little Man hanging out on the front porch

Emily enjoying some cake and ice cream

A bat I found crawling around in the grass

Do bats sunbathe?

Bats hanging out behind on of the window shutters

The bridge that goes over the creek...you need to take this to get to the path. And yes, it shakes and wobbles!

The view from the right side of the bridge. (I got a nice shot of a fisherman)

The view from the left side of the bridge

A snake in a tree...luckily it was on the other side of the creek

And finally, a picture of the cabin

Whew! No bears!

All About Chloe

2009-03-30T10:01:00.008-04:00

In honor of Chloe's birthday, I'm going to do a post all about her. She turned 6 this past weekend, and she's excited about being another year older. I'm not as excited, it means that she's growing up and before I know it she'll be asking for the keys. But, that's about me and not Chloe. I'll just save that for another post.

Chloe is my social butterfly. She is quick to make friends anywhere she goes, young and old. She likes to be the center of attention, she does an awesome singing routine on her stage. (It's actually our fireplace hearth but hey, what do I know?) She loves school, she is very thoughtful, and she still likes to cuddle with me. Happy Birthday Chloe, we all love you so much!

Just Born

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Little Man

2009-03-17T16:53:00.005-04:00

Zachary is picking up some bad habits from Mike already! Hehe... :-)

(In case you can't tell, he has his sock in his mouth)

Emily's New Favorite Outfit

2009-03-13T17:31:00.005-04:00

Emily wears this outfit at least once a day. It's Chloe's dance recital outfit from last year. Except Chloe didn't wear it with a fuzzy tiara and Snow White shoes. It's too bad you can't see the shoes, they make the outfit....

Baby Seat

2009-03-07T10:19:00.007-05:00

**Update** The baby seat has found a good home...yaye!

To all of my readers (yes, all 5 of you) I am giving away a Fisher Price baby papasan chair that Zachary is too big for. It's cute, it vibrates and plays music. I bought it for Emily, so it's only about 2 years old. Does anyone need it, or know someone who does?

Through The Eyes Of Chloe

2009-03-05T09:56:00.004-05:00

Thanks for the idea Danielle!

Ask your child the questions and write them down exactly how they respond.

1. What is something mom always says to you?

You call me a stinker

2. What makes mom happy?

When I listen and obey you

3. What makes mom sad?

Not listening to you

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

By tickling me

5. What was your mom like as a child?

You were cute

6. How old is your mom?

40 (What?!??)

7. How tall is your mom?

100 inches

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

Hug

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

Play with Emily

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

Your prettiness (I swear I didn't coach her!)

11. What is your mom really good at?

Putting on the t.v. (I'm reaching for the stars)

12. What is your mom not very good at?

Playing Crazy 8's

13. What does your mom do for her job?

Take care of Zachary

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

The ravioli's that you make (Baked Pesto Ravioli, not Chef Boyardee)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

Taking care of us

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Dora the Explorer

17. What do you and your mom do together?

We cuddle

18. How are you and your mom the same?

We have the same skin

19. How are you and your mom different?

Because your hair is curly and my hair is straight

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

'Cause you say it all the time

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

Target

Vacation

2009-03-04T09:10:00.010-05:00

We had such a great time in Florida last week, it truly was a vacation. The weather was perfect! No rain, sunny and warm everyday. My parents met us down there, and my sister flew in from San Antonio to stay with us too. The only people missing were my brother and my sister-in-law. (That's okay, we missed you guys but China is a little too far right now!) :-) We stayed in Orlando, so it was easy to get to the Disney parks. I would be here all day telling you about everything we did, so I'm going to post one funny story that happened and put most of my pictures on my Facebook. (I guess those of you who aren't on Facebook need to get on the ball....Ahem...Brian and Kristina.....)

On with my story. During the past few months, Emily has been showing more and more interest in the Disney princesses. Especially Sleeping Beauty, that's her favorite. Or as Emily calls her "Pincess Booty". We spent a day at Epcot and while we were walking around we saw (again, as Emily says) "Snow Wipe" standing there....with no line! So Mike and I practically ran with the kids so we could get a picture. The girls loved it.

Then, we came upon "Jamine and Laddin" with a very short line. So we got their pictures with them too.

Well, we saw another line, though we weren't sure who it was for until we hear Emily crying out "Pincess Booty, Pincess Booty!" Yep, it was Sleeping Beauty. The line was a bit longer, but we knew that we had to do it. So while we're in line, Emily is getting more and more excited. Chatting with other people, pointing and laughing. Well, we finally get to the front of the line, and Emily is just awe-struck. Chloe goes right over for a hug and starts talking with her. Emily finally goes over to her and practically falls into her lap. She just laughed and laughed and occasionally the words "Pincess Booty" came out. To put it in context, she's reacting the way that I would react if I saw Brad Pitt in person. Then, out of the blue, Emily turns around and shakes her butt at Sleeping Beauty! (Just for the record, that is something I would never do if I saw Brad Pitt in person...at least I don't think I would) Now, the people who work at Disney World are very professional and they always stay in character. Well, when Sleeping Beauty saw what Emily was doing, she gave out the most hearty, un-Sleeping Beauty-like laugh ever! I really wish that I took a picture, better yet a video, of what was going on. But I was laughing too hard myself. She finally settled down a little, as best as she could, and got her picture taken.

I will never know what possessed Emily to do that, but like I said in a previous post. She sure is entertaining!

This trip, we were able to take the time to get pictures taken with some characters. The girls really enjoyed it (Zachary was with me the whole time) and it was a nice break from the rides. Chloe's favorite character was Minnie Mouse, but I don't have any of those pictures yet.

Now it's back to the everyday business, I'm still trying to catch up with things around the house, including a never ending pile of laundry! And here I sit blogging....at least I know what my priorities are.

Our First REAL Snow!

2009-03-02T16:02:00.007-05:00

So here it is March, and we finally get some real snow! It's not the kind to make a snowman out of, but it was perfect for snow angels. I finally had time to get the girls outside for a little bit this afternoon. They had fun, and even though their noses were red and they were freezing, they didn't want to come inside! Here is some of their fun.....

All ready to go!

She's so excited!

Chloe making her snow angel

The finished product

Chloe testing out the snow....

It's okay Emily, try it!

Emily has her turn making a snow angel

Okay, so now where is spring????

A Message From Chloe....

2009-02-25T19:36:00.006-05:00

Chloe asked me if I would please "put these on the internet so everyone can see them". So, here I am after a long day at one of the Disney parks uploading pictures to my blog. The girls got their faces painted at Epcot yesterday. Chloe was soooo excited, especially because she got lipstick with glitter put on her lips! Emily only got a small heart painted because we knew that she wouldn't stay still long enough for a full one. I will post more about our trip later after we get home....until then!

Yep, That's My Girl!

2009-02-18T09:52:00.003-05:00

She always keeps me entertained....and laughing!

Catch-Up

2009-01-25T14:41:00.007-05:00

Wow, it's been so long since I've blogged! There are a couple of reasons why. Emily (who is the source of most of my material) has been down in Georgia visiting my parents. I spoke with my mom a few times while she was down there, and it sounded like she was having a good time. And I've seen some of the pictures my dad took. Yeah, she had fun at Grammy and Poppy's house. Who wouldn't have fun eating cookies for breakfast, jumping on all the beds, being able to go to bed whenever you want, and absolutely no nap time? Ha! Just kidding. My mom assured me that none of this was happening, but I guess we'll never know, will we mom? Last Tuesday Mike flew down to get her, and then flew back. He is very brave. Emily has never been on a plane. I wasn't sure she would be able to sit for 2 hours, but Mike said that she actually did great. She liked to look out of the window and flap her arms while saying "I'm flying, I'm flying!" So she's home now. Safe and sound. Another reason why my blog has been quiet is that we have been trying to get back into our "routine" around here. (Are you sure she had nap time while in Georgia mom?) I also think that Emily might have gotten used to being the only child for two weeks. Apparently it annoys her when Little Man cries, and when Chloe tries to play with her trains. But we're working on that. And lastly, we're sick again. I know, big surprise right? Mike has a head cold (which he's at the end of hopefully) which he ever so graciously gave to me. And Zachary came down with a fever and a runny nose on Friday, but today he's doing better. Still a runny nose, but the fever is coming down. Whew! Fevers make me nervous! So, that's about all we've been up to. I will now leave you with some pictures from the past few weeks.

Now we all know who's in charge at Grammy and Poppy's house

My dad just adores the grandchildren

My Little Man

Am I a mean mommy? I don't know, but this picture sure does make me laugh!

Movie Night

2009-01-02T17:53:00.006-05:00

With our new Hello Kitty popcorn maker!

The girls watching it pop

Mmmm, ready to eat!

Eating popcorn while watching Madagascar

Breakfast in Bed

2008-12-30T07:52:00.005-05:00

I picked this up at Target the other day....it was so cute - and it was 50% off!

I also got a small jug to fit on the bottom shelf of the fridge and filled it with milk. So, now Chloe can make her own breakfast, while I'm still in bed! (hence the title) We also got the popcorn maker, which was also 50% off, for movie nights with the girls. Fun times!

Captain Chloe, Argh!

2008-12-19T07:43:00.004-05:00

Okay, so the title isn't the best, but I couldn't come up with anything else! It's supposed to be a pirate reference....you'll see. Yesterday Chloe and I were talking about her Uncle Brian and Aunt Kristina, they are going to be here in 2 days! They have been living in China since July (my SIL is teaching at an American school there, and my brother is an assistant) and they are coming home for Christmas. We are very excited, and Chloe has been counting down the days. So, anyway, back to my story. We were talking about when they would be here, and she said "Yeah, they are probably in the car right now driving to get here!" My parents drive up from Georgia all the time so that's why she said this. I explained to her that China is very far away, it's across the ocean so they have to fly here. They can't drive. When she heard me say the ocean she got very excited and said "I love the ocean! I wish I were a pirate so I could sail the seas and be near the ocean all the time!" And just to clarify, she meant the feather-in-your-hat, parrot-on-your-shoulder, "argh!"-saying pirate. Not the pirates that are wreaking havoc in the waters off the coast of Africa. But, I'm sure you knew that.

Time To Clean?

2008-12-08T15:01:00.007-05:00

As I was walking Chloe home from the bus stop today, she was going out of her way to step in all the snow. Which was mixed with mud and leaves. So I asked her to please not step in all the mud because she'll track it in all over my clean floors. She stopped, with a quizzical look on her face and said: "What? We have clean floors??!!" I guess not.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T13:02:00.010-05:00

This year for Thanksgiving we went to the Outer Banks with Mike's family. Each of us had a dish we were in charge of, so everyone contributed. We had such a fun weekend, especially the kids! During our time there, Mike and Will (with some help from others) built a kite out of drinking straws and mylar. It took them a long time to do it, but it was fun watching it fly! The weekend didn't start out that smoothly and we had some "bumps" while we were there, but we still had a lot of fun. The day we left, I found out Emily had pink eye. Then the day after we were there, Chloe had croupe. Then Zachary got a small fever and a cough. The day before we left, Mike pulled something in his foot and could barely walk. The day we left, I started to get a cold (which is now at its worst). Even though there was a lot going on, there was still some quiet time to relax and read. I'll leave you with some photos....

My Drama Queen

Chloe and Aunt Andi

Emily seeing the ocean for the first time

Little Man enjoyed himself too

This is the kite that they made, doesn't it look festive?

The finished gingerbread house that the kids made with Aunt Andi

The kids in their pj's. You wouldn't know it by looking at them, but this was taken right after we watched the sunrise. Yes, they get up that early!

Uh-Oh

2008-11-24T16:24:00.006-05:00

The girls are already dressing up Zachary! (Notice the Sleeping Beauty Tiara)