Sticker Chart

September 28th...

The classic "Goodboy Sticker Chart" we'll see how well it works! Hopefully a few days of being his nice to his sister...and he won't need to be rewarded anymore. I'm not going to hold my breath though, after all...once she's old enough to fight back, she's going to. I can already tell.

Be Careful What You Wish For!

September 27th...

I got on a cleaning streak today (and by cleaning streak, I mean re-arranging the entire house, making messes that didn't need to be made, and completely ignoring the regular things that actually should have been done, like laundry and dishes...) Well, instead of going into it with a gameplan like I normally do, I just started moving everything into the middle of the living room and decided from there. I found a nice new spot for just about everything except the DVD shelf. It had no home. No wall to put it on. As I am standing in the middle of my living room, hands on my hips, thinking to myself "Man...I wish we didn't even have this shelf right now..." Cael puts on tiny little 2 year old hand on it, and BOOM. To the ground it falls! Hits the backdoor and snaps itself in two, and crashes to the floor. He probably peed himself, but I could not stop laughing. Thanks Cael! Now I just have to find a spot for the DVD's...

Back on the trails

September 26th...

Oh man! When I woke up this morning to let Jo outside, there was actual breeze that came in the door! It was a cool breeze. It felt amazing. 8 o' clock in the morning and I emailed a friend and asked if she wanted to go for walk, and maybe a little geocaching adventure, just so we could get out in this amazing weather!! I hadn't been to the greenway trails in months just because it has been so hot, the walk would be more uncomfortable than necessary, but today was a really good day to go. The kids helped us find 2 of our 3 sought out caches, along with some treasures of there own, and were pretty good the whole day! (Good, considering Sandra and I were the two having fun and the kids just had to hang out and wait for us) :)

Iron Man!

September 25th...

Cael had quite the day today meeting all sorts of famous characters at the grand opening of our Toys R Us store. It was like a party in there! He's not really brave enough yet to walk up to a costumed character and say hello, or even give a high five so I had to carry him to each person to get a picture, but after it was said and done, he always wanted to go back and see them again! Maybe soon he will be able to be in a picture without me, that would be really nice. Maybe with Santa this year??? I won't hold my breath...

Best Present Ever!

September 24th...

Ok, I am aware that this blog may contradict my last one. That being said, today I received an awesome present from one of my good friends! Time to myself!! Tiffany came over today to babysit the kids for a few hours so I could have a tiny bit of peace and quiet. Let me tell you...I NEEDED it! I cannot thank her enough for it! What did I do in my quiet time today, you ask? Went hunting for geo's of course!! Didn't do awesome by myself, but I did alright. I can't wait until Derrick and I can do this together!

Real shoes!

September 22nd...

Wow...it's been forever since we have been able to wear actual shoes! Socks have been completely off the radar for a few months now and it feels soooo good to put them back on! Jeans too! It's official, fall is my favorite season. Bring it on! Just...please, don't get too cold. I like it right here in the middle. Long sleeve shirts, but no jacket. Jeans, but no long johns underneath. Hats for fashion purposes, not for necessity. That's how I like it :) Although, my tune will probably change when the snow comes. I always get excited at the beginning of each season, I like change.

25 woohoo!

September 23rd...

Today is my birthday! Since most of my friends are in different parts of the world, and my husband couldn't possibly be farther away, I am taking today as a day of quality time with my kids. I know, I know, we spend quality time together every day...but today is a little different. Normally, if I am in the mood for a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's, we will go through the drive-thru. It's just easier. Not today! Today we actually went in and it felt nice! Both Cael and Averi were on their A-game and behaved amazingly. Sometimes I get stuck into the "stay at home mom" rut and allow myself to just assume it's easier if we don't leave the house. I don't need to do that anymore! I have good kids, and even when I don't...they are just kids! It's not like the people at Wal Mart are going to take down my name and number if Cael throws a fit about wanting to walk along side the cart instead of being in it. I just need to relax!

So, in keeping with my new mantra today, I decided to go get my hair cut. With the kids! The looks on the beauticians faces were pretty funny while I maneuvered the double stroller into the salon, and that's what would normally turn me away in embarrassment. But they were totally cool with it! I parked the stroller next to one of the chairs, gave Cael my phone to play a few games on, and Averi took a nap. It was amazing! Quite possibly the best birthday (under the circumstances) I could have asked for! Thanks kids!

Uh oh...Somebody doesn't feel well

September 21st...

Who knows how many teeth are coming in? Who knows if that's reason she's getting stuffy? Who knows why she was awake and miserable at 6am? Who knows why she doesn't want to play with anything at all, and would rather be carried around all day? I sure don't. But one thing I do know...sometimes changing into a pair of sweatpants can fix your whole mood. Like mother like daughter I guess.

The Tree

September 20th...

I have a picture of my tree in the winter, spring, and here is one from the tail end of summer. It probably won't be very long before all the leaves are gone, and on the ground. Then I can take a fall picture. I really like this tree...it gives our yard character, and I think when we (if we) move...I will really miss it.

Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can...

September 19th...

Hooray! Cael got a big boy bed (a bigger big boy bed that is!) Out with the toddler bed and in with an awesome twin size, fully equipped with Spiderman sheets. I have no idea what happened to his Toy Story phase...it has gone completely out the window. He wanted me to put his big toy story blanket in the closet yesterday with the rest of the blankets and I refused. It's just so soft and cozy...I don't want him to not want it! Every night after he is asleep I cover him up with it, hoping that if he wakes up enough times with it on him, he will forget that he doesn't like it anymore :) Is it working? No. Do I seem a little crazy and refuse to let go of things? Probably...

NightLight

September 18th...

One thing I love about being a mom? Hearing "momma, bed" and watching my son tap his pillow for me when I tuck him in. He started this while my mom was here visiting, and I am very proud to take over her role. I love sitting on the floor next to his bed, my head on his pillow next to his, and we just look up at his stars and he whispers his list of people he loves. We do this almost every night and it is so sweet. I keep telling him one of the these nights we will lay outside in the yard and look at the real stars...but...the bugs are so big here....

September 17th...

I got take a small glimpse into the "what if we got another dog?" world last night and I can honestly say, we made the right choice by downsizing to one dog when we moved here. She was very cute and such a sweetheart, but there is no way I could keep myself even semi-sane if we had one more body in this house. (That doesn't count my husband, I should say...one more body that I need to care after!) She was a runaway who needed a yard to sleep in, but I just couldn't do that to her. She slept on my bed right next to Jo. :) My neighbor was contemplating keeping her, but her owner came a' knockin and she is home now!

:(

September 16th...

Saying goodbye to a good friend is absolutely heartbreaking. That would probably be why Faith and I didn't say goodbye to each other! Ohio is only 7 hours away, so even though she had to move, I don't think it will be long before we see her again. Faith, you have been such a good friend to me these past few months! My kids both absolutely adore you and we will definitely miss you! Have fun back home, and think of me next time you hit up a drive through convenient store! Yes - rest of the world, I said drive through convenient store. How cool is that? It's so smart, I don't know why every state doesn't have them. I can't count how many times I was dying of thirst, but didn't stop somewhere because of sleeping kids in the back seat. Ahh...I'm coming for you Ohio!

Hello 21st century, my name is Darci

September 15th...

It's about darn time...I finally have a cool phone! Don't get me wrong, the dinosaur I had treated me well, er...good, er...it let me make calls. Sometimes. It just had this nasty habit of turning itself off whenever it felt the need (which was a lot) and started really driving me crazy! Not to mention...when ALL of your friends can text each other, you don't want to be the one who makes them say "Ugh, I would have to actually call her..." Not saying that any of them said that :) But I can definitely see it. Texting, while pulling us farther and farther away from hearing each other's voices which (I don't think) was ever a bad thing, is very convenient and I plan on using every single bit of my unlimited plan :)

Blurry picture = Happy baby!

September 14th...

Yes! Ladies and Gentlemen...she got up there all on her own! And I think you can tell by how blurry the picture is, that she was VERY proud of herself! She just sat up there and danced and bounced around until she (it was bound to happen) bounced herself right back onto the floor! Good thing she still has that helmet for a few more weeks :) She might be missing it once it's gone. I know I sure won't though!

Take a Leap!

September 13th...

I think this picture is pretty awesome. Her and I both get so freaked out crawling into weeds and under trees. We think about it too much and start to imagine the bugs crawling up our legs...even if they aren't really there. It took a leap of Faith (haha) to get this treasure today, and I was very proud of my friend!

Nooks and Crannys

September 12th...

There are so many things to learn about the places we live, experiences are tucked into every little nook and cranny, just waiting to be had. The funny part to me is, you can live somewhere your whole life and never know about a certain spot...while a person just like you on the other side of town could have a million memories there. It could be the one place that they return to year after year, or the only memory they have from there childhood...and everyone else goes on completely oblivious. I'm not saying that a cemetery could bring these people the warm and fuzzies..i'm just sayin. This little cemetery is tucked away, right off of a major road next to my house, and I had never even seen the sign until yesterday. All the while there is a whole entire family up there...

Geocaching

September 11th...

Today is a very sad day for everyone. I first want to start my blog off with sending a big shout out to all of our troops ( my husband included) who are fighting for us right now so tragedies like 9-11 never happen again. No one should have to go through that even once, and my hopes are high that someday every soldier will be home with his or her family and we won't have to stress anymore.

That being said, Faith and I went on some serious adventures today. We learned about geocaching yesterday(geocaching.com) and figured we would give it a shot. It's really like one big game of hide and seek all over the world. People hide caches, and we find them. There are quite a few here close to the house so we put the kids in the car and went to find them. We had 6 total that we searched for, and only found 4. But still...4! We are pretty impressed with ourselves. The 2 we couldn't find will probably keep us awake, trying to figure out where they could possibly be, but that could easily be due to the fact that we did all our hunting today without a GPS. We went into it, knowing our shots were slim. Someday I will have an iPhone and geocaches will be that much easier to find!

There is a screeching in my head...

September 10th...

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! There, I said it! That's exactly how I felt ALL day today. This may look like a sweet, cute, innocent picture here...but it's just a facade. Today was insane. Kids everywhere. Cael was whinier than (I thought) humanly possible. Averi ate more dog food than the dog did. I can't even say what else went on in this house, as I have completely blacked it out already. It was a day of complete nonsense and I'm not 100% sure how I managed to survive it. Lucky for me, I happen to not be pregnant this year and am able to drink my frustrations away! Faith and I let loose a little and played some cards and some wii, and I felt much much better after an hour or two!

Watching and Learning

September 9th...

It's so amazing to watch her watching her brother. She pays attention to everything he does, actually, she is probably keeping tabs so she can get some accurate payback when she's older. But regardless, she watches him and it's really cool to watch. He knows it too, so he gears (almost) everything he does towards her so she can see. As long as she keeps her distance that it...sharing is still a figment of my imagination in this house.

Challenge Wednesdays

September 8th...

Ok, as if I don't have enough little projects going to try and keep my mind off of how long this deployment is actually taking...my mom, sister and I came up with another one. I love to scrapbook (as do they) but I don't love to scrapbook by myself. As a result of busy lives and busy schedules, finding time to get anything done is impossible, especially if you are waiting for your friends to try and find time too. So we are going to try having a contest every Wednesday to see who can actually get something done and posted on facebook before everyone else. First person to finish a page gets to pick the challenge for next week and the loser...we don't know yet. But it's gonna be bad!

Halloween Express

September 7th...

Finally took Cael to the big pumpkin today! (picture will come soon, I keep forgetting to bring my camera when we drive past it.) He has wanted to go to this Halloween store since the day we saw them inflating it back in August, and today we finally went. Walking in he was holding my hand and all excited, then the second we walked through the doors - fear! We would walk down an isle and as soon as we turned a corner, there would be some creepy witch or vampire with glowing eyes and fog all around, and he would grip my hand so tight. I would say "it's alright, she's fake..." and he would say "fake? ok" They may have creeped him out, but he still thought that store was pretty cool and wants to go back! You know you're bored when you spend your days window shopping.

Oh man...Stitches...

September 6th...

Everyone told me when I had a little boy that I would become a regular at the hospital. Stitches, casts, bumps, bruises. I knew the day was coming. I had no idea, however, that it was coming now. He is only 2 and a half years old! I was on the phone with my sister and she could hear Cael laughing and asked what he was doing. I told her he was wrestling with Jo...rolling around on the floor and she was licking him to pieces. We both commented on the fact that they had never played like that with each other before (without me or Derrick egging Jo on) and that Jo must have decided Cael is a big boy now and she can be a little rough. I guess that was all it took because 5 minutes later he rolled himself right into our big hutch and split his head open. This was definitely a night when it would have been nice to have my husband home; that way I could run around the house being dramatic and frantic like I felt like doing. Instead I had to suck it up and tell him the peroxide would only sting for a second. I decided I am not medically inclined enough to know if it would be alright without stitches, so I took him to the ER just in case. That was fun...

He was having a great time at first, sitting on the big bed with his very own remote for the tv! We got to watch whatever he wanted. (We ended up flipping through every channel 100 times because one had a commercial with horses on it and he wanted to see it again.) When things finally got underway, a Dr and a nurse came in and wrapped him up like a burrito. That (go figure) he didn't like so much. He was just a scared little head yelling "mom mom! mom mom!" but after the numbing medicine kicked in, and the nurse held some gauze over his eyes so he didn't have to look at the Dr, he was just fine. He stayed so still, he wouldn't even answer the questions about his daddy and sister. Afterwards he got a grape Popsicle and that completely made his night! He was a trooper, and he did a way better job at dealing with the stitches than I did!

Prison

September 5th...

Yes, this is exactly what it looks like. She didn't climb in there for fun, or else she would be smiling. This is where I had to put her so I could have a 5 second conversation with my husband without her unplugging the mouse, pulling the paper out of the printer, getting her toy animals stuck behind the desk, or turning the computer off.

Bugs? No!

September 4th...

I am some of the best friends in the world! This morning I started freaking out when I saw not one, but TWO little tick-looking bugs on me. They were tiny tiny tiny so I don't think they were really ticks, but honestly, when bugs are on you...does it matter what they are? Not really. I took the dog outside and gave her a very thorough bath that she wasn't too thrilled about. Then I came back in the house and took every blanket and piece of clothing I could find and threw it all in the wash. I didn't stop there either, I grabbed both my kids and stuck them in the bathtub! As soon as I put them in the tub though, I realized that I was on the verge of a panic attack and where was I going to put them while I cleaned the house? I couldn't put them on the floor until I vacuumed it. And where was I supposed to put them while I did that? Averi's crib? They aren't going to be able to stay happy in there for very long...and I obviously couldn't leave them in the tub forever. (Although I must say, they were pretty prune-y by the time I was done contemplating our buggy situation) Finally I called Faith and of course, because she is the good person that she is, she came over to offer me a little assistance. She kept them busy in the baby's room while I cleaned the entire house top to bottom! No more bugs for us! I don't know what they were exactly, but I do know that they aren't welcome here and I hope I don't see anymore. I do believe my bug sprayer guys will be getting a call in the morning!

*HAHAHAHA Right after I posted this, a big ad popped up on my screen for an exterminator! Discounted price! Ahh, irony.

Awesome Program for Little Readers!

September 3rd...

My friend Stephanie told me about this program called "Dolly Parton's Imagination Library" a while back and I thought I would give it a try. It's free for kids (I believe) 5 and under, and if you live in a qualifying area, each kid in your household receives a book in the mail every month. The first month they both got the same book (The Little Engine That Could) but after that it's always different. Cael just got his 2nd book in the mail today and he was so excited! Lucky him, it was about Tica! (His name for horses, thanks to my parents' horse Tica) I am anxious to see what book Averi will get and when it will get here.

The March of the Animals

September 2nd...

And march! I don't know why they go the places they go, but these zoo animals march in line like this all over the house. I have seen them marching on the edge of the bathtub (perhaps on the way to take one?) I have seen them marching on the dinner table (feeding time, obviously.) I have seen them marching in and out of every bedroom (to play and/or sleep.) I have even seen them march right in front of the TV and camp out there for a good hour or so, enjoying some great afternoon cartoons. In this particular case they are patrolling the rails of Averi's crib during her nap. Maybe word has gotten out that she can stand up now and they are just watching out for her safety...who knows? I'll have to check with their zoo keeper to find out for sure.

fall!

September 1st...

WOW, is it really September?? That is amazing. I love September for a number of reasons...the weather starts to cool off (and don't get me wrong, I LOVE the summer...but something about a nice cool breeze that comes with this time of year just makes me feel so happy!) another reason would be the starting of school. I know, I know, I'm not in school right now...and for most of those that are, this month is probably awful because you have to go back. But there is something so awesome about the first few days. When you're actually excited to go! Seeing where your locker is, who your teachers are, and best of all, who you have your classes with! Ahh...good times. Oh yeah, my Birthday is also coming up! That could be another reason why I like September so much.

I just made myself start wishing I was in Jr. High again...man, if I could redo that...I would be MUCH cooler this time :)