Neighbors

October 20th...

This is our neighbor, Christopher. He and his brother Kristian are Cael's buds and we hang out with them just about everyday! I was talking with there mom today and she mentioned that there school pictures didn't turn out so hot, so while we were playing in the backyard, I decided to give it a shot. Kristian was busy mowing my grass with Cael's lawn mower...but I least I got Christopher to pose for me for a few minutes. :)

Are we really to this point?

October 19th...

I can't believe how big my baby girl is. Has it really been almost a year? It seems like yesterday she had to be napping before Cael and I could play outside...and now she is right out there with us! Climbing (with a little help from mom) and sliding all on her own!

i HEART this picture!

October 18th...

This might be my very favorite picture in the world. Averi is getting some seriously big teeth in and my poor baby girl could not be any more uncomfortable. She has had a fever that won't quit, and she wants nothing more than to sleep (un-interrupted by pain, i'm sure) all day long. I had been cuddling her on the couch all afternoon and she would only sleep maybe 10-20 minutes at a time, so I decided to lay her in her crib for a while. When I walked into her room to check on her I had to go get my camera! All curled up on her daddy pillow and finally getting some good quality sleep. I guess there really are times when a girl just needs her daddy.

An Accomplishment!

October 17th...

I know it's normally very hard to rearrange a kitchen...honestly, there is only so much you can change. But that doesn't mean I didn't try! The kitchen was my pet project today and I switched as much as I possibly could. No real reason I guess...just for something new to look at. And with the final result, I was actually left with some counter space! Hooray!

Who's Who???

October 16th...

Cael did not want to try on his spiderman mask that is part of his Halloween costume, and I knew I needed to try and get him used to it before the big day, so I stuck it on Averi. That did it! (Luckily...) she thought it was fun, so of course Cael had to think it was fun too. Once I put it on him he thought it was pretty awesome, he could probably wear that mask and stand in front of the mirror all day if I let him. Can't wait for Halloween!!! My fingers are crossed that Derrick will be home to spend it with us!

Prayer Time...attempt 4!

October 15th...

Faith and I have been searching for this stupid cache since the very first day we started our hobby. I thought after she moved home, I would have to wait for Derrick to come home and help me look, but she came back to visit this weekend and we searched again! To no avail...of course, but at least we got to look one more time! I miss having you around Faith! If I ever find this one (doubtful) you will be the first to know!

Fun on the Farm

October 14th...

The kids and I spent some much needed time with a good friend today at a fun pumpkin patch! The place was very hidden, tucked WAY back into an area of Clarksville I'm sure most people (myself included as of yesterday) don't even know exists. It was a very pretty drive to get to, though. It's funny, I'm not a huge fan of "pumpkin orange" at any other time of year...but once October/November is upon us...I love it! I think it's an awesome color, and driving through an ocean of orange and red trees, is very cool.

Go Averi Go!

October 13th...

This is so amazing to me, I have pictures just like this of Cael, and I think he was pretty darn close to the same age! We were picking up toys tonight and Averi decided she would rather play and learn something new, than help us. She's still little so I guess she can get away it, plus it was so cool to watch her figure out how to stack these block that she just melted my heart! Man...my baby girl really is going to grow up, huh? Doesn't really seem fair.

Already looking the part

October 12th...

Everyone tells me Cael is going to be a football player. He's just got that look. I'm not crazy about it...to be perfectly honest. I can only imagine the sound of my heart hitting the grass beneath the bleachers when I hear the crunch of football helmets crashing together, knowing that my baby boy is inside the wreckage. Ugh...BUT I know we are all human and he could get hurt just by walking down the street so I'm not about to stand in between anything he says he wants to do. That doesn't mean I have to like it :)

There is a clothes fairy?

October 11th...

I asked my neighbor to come over tonight and help me (and by help me, I mean do it for me...) look in my shed for my Halloween decorations. The spiders in that shed are MASSIVE and yes, the bug sprayer guy was here just a few weeks ago...but I don't think he sprayed inside. For all I know, there is a momma queen bee spider in there who is bigger than me and opening those doors of doom will set all her mane eating babies free. No thank you. Lucky for me, Christy is not nearly as afraid as I am, she just walked right in there and started moving boxes around! As it turns out...we tossed the Halloween decorations when we moved because they were cheap and old and there was no sense keeping them...oops. The things we remember AFTER we are knee deep in spiderwebs! BUT, there was a plus side to tonights horrific plot, 2 huge boxes of clothes I didn't know I had! Written across both boxes was "CLOTHES FOR AVERI 6-12 MONTHS" Ooops again! She is 11 months! Whew, almost missed that window! Her dresser is PACKED now! It was like Christmas morning (or evening) for me, she has shoes galore, and lots and lots of fall/winter clothes! Now we just need the weather to cool down a smidge so she can wear them.

Ummm, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Fall...

October 10th...

92 today? Seriously? Tennessee just keeps surprising me! Had I been back home, I would have been ecstatic to have 90 degree weather in October...but, it's been this hot since June and I am very ready for some cool breezes. Before we left for the park today I had both kids in pants and the sweatshirts packed in the diaper bag....wishful thinking on my part I guess. Never thought I would wish for cold, but I guess a lot about me in changing! (Unlike the seasons...)

Pumpkin Patch

October 9th...

It was Family Fun Day today, and the kids and I definitely had fun! Cael got to pick out a free pumpkin, it was just his size, and he is very proud of it! He decorated it like a vampire with foam stickers, and carried it around all day. Averi thought the pumpkins were great too! Lots of fun to play with. Next week we will be headed to a bigger (I think) pumpkin patch and we'll pick out a few more to carve up for Halloween! I really love this time of year! Now if only the weather would cool off just a tad, so it actually feels like fall. That would be great!

Quincy Raquel

October 8th...

WELCOME TO THE WORLD BABY GIRL!!!!

Say Hello to my new niece! Quincy Raquel Lehn, 7lbs 11oz, 19.5 inches long. Born at 12:25 this morning, 10-8-10! Such a beautiful little girl. Yes...most of us were thinking boy while you were still in your mommy's tummy, I personally, apologize. I was shouting it from the rooftops to be honest. But, you're Aunt Darci is grown up enough to admit when she is wrong :) And, between you and me, had you been a boy...you probably would have spent the majority of your childhood being dressed up, and chased around by your big sisters. You little girlie, are going to fit right in! You could not have a better family, be proud! Love you, I can't wait to meet you.

Oh Cael...

October 7th...

Oh buddy. There is nothing like self expression, is there? In his defense, he loves ALL hats! He wears my old softball visor, daddy's army hat, his own hats...why shouldn't Averi's get a turn too? Personally, I think he wears it well! Haha, gotta love a goofball. He's been known to rock the headband too, but I don't want him to completely hate me when he's older.

It's off!

October 6th...

Wow...I can't even believe my eyes. Averi got the OK to take her helmet off today! Appointment could not have gone any better! The doc said she looked perfect (I already knew that part :)) and sees no reason for her to keep it on any longer! YES! We did it baby girl! It was hot, and sweaty, and stinky...but in the end, it was so worth it! She wore it like a champ (and made it look darn cute, I might add) and now her head looks perfect! Over 5 months, and she didn't complain at all. I might have... :) I can't even count how many people stopped me and asked me where I had it made, or where they could get one! You know you're daughter is a cutie when she can make a corrective helmet look like an accessory to her outfit :)

WooHoo, Homer!

October 5th...

Spent the day caching with my friend, and found my first trackable! It's a "travel bug" that has a specific code and can be tracked online. My job now is to put him in a new cache, so someone else can pluck him from there and he can continue his journey. This one (being Homer Simpson, of course) is on a mission to "See all the Springfield's in the US"...since he doesn't know which one he lives in! It definitely was fun to find it and I am thinking about creating my own! Maybe my "travel bug" could make it back home to visit my family before I can again :)

Oh man...Derrick, please don't be upset!!

October 4th...

Wow...she did it! She walked this bad boy all the way across the living room today! And she was pretty darn proud of her self too, with good reason. I video taped her, so daddy will be the first to see (hence, why she isn't in the picture) and low and behold, my computer magically doesn't play my videos anymore. It says quicktime can't...something something something. Who knows. I never read those things that pop up, they are jibberish to me. So, Derrick, I have the video! You just might not get to see it until you get home...I'm working on it! I figure, more power to her, until she tries to walk without it. That just cannot happen yet. She HAS to wait for her dad, no if's, and's or but's about it!

Drill

October 3rd...

Drill again. Not much to say about it. I'm glad I joined, it was the path I needed to take to find my husband. I will never regret that for one instant. I can say with all honesty though, that I am ready to be done. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. By August I will have done my 8 years, and that's a lot more than a lot of people can say. Maybe if Derrick weren't in, I would be seeing things differently, but I don't think dual military is best for our family. More power to the families that can handle it! I wish I was one of them...but I'm going to keep smiling for 10 more months, and then take a BIG breath of fresh air!

Hey Bud, wake up...it's time for bed

October 2nd...

I started my first Tennessee Reserve weekend today...felt weird. I miss my old unit already! It was alright though, it was kind of nice in a way. Man...I sure missed the kids though! They stayed with a friend and all day I had to worry about whether or not they were being good for her. I picked them up around 5 and they were happy as clams! They had a great day, which I was very very excited to see. I assumed Cael must have had a really good time because he fell asleep in the car on the way home. I brought him inside, woke him up, and set him on the couch...but before I could turn around, he was out again! Averi and I played, she screamed in his face a few times trying to get a reaction out of him, we watched a movie...he slept. I gave her a bath, got her ready for bed...he slept. He finally woke up when I started changing him into his pajamas! Talk about bad timing! He cuddled with me on the couch for a while and then was back to lala land, so I tucked him in to bed. 5 oclock bedtime for Cael...I am afraid to even guess how early we will be awake in the morning :)

He's a Salesman alright...

October 1st...

OCTOBER????? Really??? YES! October means Halloween...October means birthday shopping for my niece and nephew back home...October means playing in the leaves...October means R&R! I cannot wait until later on in this month when I get to see my HUSBAND! How exiting!!! Technically...it will probably be early November when he actually sets foot in the house..but I don't care! October is closer, so I'm going with that! Another totally handy thing about October? My son is apparently a candle salesman now. Who doesn't need a few nice smelling accesories to really say "It's Fall" this time of year? I know I do! He drove his tricycle (I know, I know, they've been recalled...but you try taking a tricycle away from a little boy...it's heartbreaking) around all day with these two (awesome smelling, by the way) candles in the seat, offering them to myself, the dog, and the baby. Lucky for me he didn't want any money for them, because as soon as I would except one, he would take it back, put it back in the compartment, and ride off to find another schmuck to fake a sale too...

Ahhhh....Sanity :)

September 30th...

FINALLY! It took me 10 months of putting it off and putting it off...but Averi now has a playpen! I guess I just assumed she was going to hate it (she is definitely a momma's girl, this one!) so I contemplated it for quite some time. The wait is over though! The dog food is at a much lower risk of being eaten by her, and I don't have to worry about breaking that tiny little heart every time I step over her to walk to different room. She loves it in there! I think it's her safe place now...the one area where she knows big brother isn't going to take her toys away :)

New Tradition

September 29th...

Whenever we play at our friends' house across the street, the walk back home is usually spent yelling "BYE" back and forth between Cael, and the boys at their bedroom window. Tonight, after we got home, my friend texted me and said the boys were still yelling to him, and wondering where he went, so I opened our window. Yes...I bet the rest of our neighbors LOVE us! :) I don't know how long they yelled back and forth...eventually it got old and everybody went about their business, but I have a feeling this may turn into a new nightly tradition.

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 :)