ho...hum...

I haven't had anything to really blog about lately... for once. It's sort of a good thing. I took Allie to the pumpkin patch yesterday with a few friends. I'll post pictures when I download them off the camera. Other than that, we've just been hanging out.

:o}

some booty loven...

hrr... hrr... (I'm not sure who this picture is actually bashing on but I think its funny!)

dinner time...

As a child, I always looked forward to eating dinner at my mom's house. Why, you ask? Because we always sat at the table as a family. I'm not sure why but it was always a highlight of my weekends over there. And, to this day as an adult it is somthing from my childhood that I cherish. Recently Allie has developed some poor eating habits. Every night for dinner, Tim & I would sit in the living room in front of the t.v. to eat, Kole would sit next to Tim in the highchair and Allie at the kiddie table in the playroom while watching caroons. For awhile that arrangement worked for us. No, it may not have been the best choice but it worked. I recently decided that it was time for all of us to sit at the table. Last night I went out and picked up 2 plastic place mats & 2 booster seats. Dinner together was a success and it was so nice to sit with my family around the dinner table. We'll definitly be making it a regular thing and someday maybe Allie & Kole will look forward to eating together with their families.

and Kole even offered to do the dishes afterwards...

success!!!

our dinner swap was today so I spent a good portion of Monday cooking & making a big mess in my kitchen! It was fun! And it looks like I got a variety of some yummy dinners out of the deal! I'd say it's definitly worth it. I spent about $94.oo on everything and I got 15 dinners. I even had some stuff left over from making my own so I put them in tins to put in my freezer... so really I got 18 dinners out of the deal. Yay!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY! (this ones long!)

this is sort of a special birthday for me... as most know, my pregnancy with Kole was quite difficult. 14 total weeks on bedrest, 6 of those weeks were spent on hospital bedrest. This past month I couldn't help but think to myself on many occasions, 'this time last year...' . My whole time in the hospital, my dr. kept telling me that I just had to make it to 35 weeks. I remember the night before I had Kole... it was a Friday night which were always the nights that Tim spent with me. I told him that I 'knew' I was either going to have Kole that night or the next day... I just felt different. I went to bed contracting that night and woke up at 4am contracting even harder. I beeped the nurse and let her know that I was contracting. Of course, as an antipartum nurse her first instinct is to get the needle out and inject me with some terbutaline to stop the contractions. OHHH NO... NOT THIS DAY... this day I am EXACTLY 35 weeks and she is not going to 'terb me up'... No way! I was determined to finally get over to Labor and Delivery and have this baby! Finally! Well, I made it. About 4 hours after going to L&D I was ready to push. I seriously pushed 3 times and baby Kole was out. I didnt get to hold him long because soon he was wisked off to the NICU where he stayed for 14 days. We were so thrilled when we were able to bring him home. 3 days after he came home from the NICU it was already time for me to go back to work. Luckily, I was able to take him with me. For the first couple weeks, he was a very good, easy baby. He spent most his time sleeping, as do most babies. Then suddenly he started screaming night after night after night and then soon it started to consume our days too. I spent many many nights sleeping in the recliner with Kole. I remember one frustrating night well... Kole had been screaming and not eating all day. I finally broke down and took him to the ER where the dr. basically rushed us out the door saying it was just colic. I knew it wasnt and I was so angry. Finally several weeks later I diagnosed him myself with 'Silent Reflux'. Sure enough thats what it was and after we got him on some meds he was so much better. I actually started to like him a little bit. Kole's had a rough start... not only did he have his reflux issues for the first several months of his life, he also came down with RSV at just 3 months old and spent 2 nights in the hospital. At about 4 months he developed a rice allergy and vomitted day and night until his little body had nothing to give. At 6 months old (Easter morning) he broke his arm and was casted up for several weeks. Ya know... its sad because now that I think about it, the only parts of Kole's early months that I remember are all bad memories. Things have changed now though. He is a totally normal little guy. He may be small for his age but he is happy and healthy. I absolutly LOVE this little boy.

Sunday we celebrated his birthday. He had 2 parties! We had a party in the morning with coffee, chocolate milk and donuts and then a party in the afternoon with cake & a pinata. Today is his actual birthday. I am not watching any kids today so it's just me, Allie & Kole. I spent some 'mommy & Kole' time with him this morning snuggling on the couch while he drank his bottle. This day feels extra emotional for me because of all I have been through with this baby. I almost feel like its a birthday for both of us. Those 6 weeks I spent in the hospital really impacted my life and I so distinctly remember the feeling that I had one year ago today knowing that I was finally going to have this baby.

Allie made me a mother but Kole made me a better mother.

These were the first few days of Kole's life...

The first time I really got to hold him...

momma & Kole snuggling this morning.
I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!

coupon clipper...

Oprah, Dr. Phil & Suzie Orman have all really inspired me to 'coupon clip'. Sooo.... I joined the 'Bargain Board' on one of my mommy websites. Its just a munch of moms trading tips, secrets, ideas and coupons! One gal posted this...

www.hiimsarah.com/sp_001.php

Yes... I'm sure I will get some extra junk e-mails now but hey, I got a free jug of fabric softener & dryer sheets! Go git yourself some too!

Did I tell you...

that I'm joining a 'dinner co-op'? Well, I am and I am really excited about it! I think this will be a great way to save money on our grocery bill and an even better way to eat 'outside the box'. I had a choice to either make 15 meals or 30. This being my first time, I chose 15. So this weekend I'll put on my apron & baking mitts and cook up 15 of the same meals, package them & then freeze them. Tuesday we will meet at a designated spot and swap! So, in the end... I'll end up with 15 different yummy meals to take home for my family! Wa-la! If I decide that I really like it this time, maybe I'll try doing 30 next month. Then I will trade and bring home 30 different meals. I am going to try a 'Mexican Cornbread Casserole'. Wish me luck!

September in a nutshell...

So this is what happens when I dont take 10 minutes out of my day to blog. Ya'll get bombarded with photos & our crazy happenings. September was no exception. Lets start here...

This...

plus this...
equals this...
and this...
which leads to this.
Allie came out one day and had looked like she had dipped her head in the toilet. After all, that was the only water she could possibly reach. So, with that in mind, I am running through the house, to each bathroom fully expecting to find a water mess. Nope. So where the hell did she get this water?! I touched her head and... OMG (thats putting it mildly!)... she put the whole damn tub of Aquaphore on her head! This kid looked sopping wet! And... if none of you know, Aquaphore is WATER RESISTANT! I gave that child bath after bath after bath. Finally I read online that some people have luck with baking soda or corn starch. So, we tried the baking soda first and that did basically nothing. Long story short... we got it out after days and days of bathing.

Ok, so on to the next disaster. Here is cute Kole sitting all tall like a big boy getting ready for his first hair cut...

and then this happened...

lets just say we finished his haircut on the floor...
and now he looks like this.
PLEASE DO NOT CALL CPS (I swear I am a good mom!)

Sooo... I got this cool adirondak chair. I cant really tell you how I got it or I'd have to kill you but basically it was FREE. So, I turned this into...
this! Isn't it cute?! This red is the same color as our accents on our house. I love it! And best of all it cost me like $3.5o for the spray paint.




Tim and I also went bowling a couple times in the last few weeks. I suck but we had a good time!

And I think I may have a 'thing' for bowling shoes, crazy socks & rolled up pants. eh?





Mid September we had a 'girls night' and went to PF Changs for my good friend Lynsay's birthday. While there we also discovered it was almost Alex's birthday too!

Happy Birthday!
after dinner we headed to the movies. I know... we're liven the crazy life- huh?! We were all using the bathroom before the movie started and while, uh, 'going' we heard this really loud noise! It was like a hurricane! All the girls were like screaming and laughing because it was so loud. We came out of our stalls (all with tears in our eyes from laughing so hard!) and discovered it was the 'super mega hand dryer 5ooo). This thing had so much power it could literally rip your skin off ya! So... Lynsay decided to stick her face under it. And seriously, there was NO alcohal involved. Seriously.

Oh, and THIS is what I found in my garage one day! I'm not kidding, this thing was HUGE! I called Tim to make him come home from work and kill it. It was way to big for me to even kill. Instead of killing it, he put it in a jar so we could get a 'better look'. Are you ready for some 'heeby-jeebies'??? The spidar wasnt really all that huge. It just looked huge because it was carrying all its babies on its back!!!! SICK!





Allie was pushing around Kole in the diaper box the other day. I thought it was so funny! It reminded me so much of some pictures that I have of Jake & I doing the exact same thing. Those are some of my favorite pictures to look back on! Isn't it funny the things that kids come up with?! I love it! (and I swear, Allie's hair is not ALWAYS in her face... just most of the time!)

We had a big rainfall a couple of weeks ago so we sent the kids out to play in the street. LOL! Ok, I really am starting to sound like a bad mom- huh?! Eh, they survived & they had fun playing in the rain!

Alright, that just about wraps up September. Who knows what October will bring us. If my poor, neglected children make it through October that is. Bwaa-aaa-aaa!!!