Back in Full Force...or Something

OK - I have been absent for quite awhile. In fact, part of the reason is because I could not get my background switched. I needed my computer-savy husband's help. And, since he figured it out, I am back sans St. Paddy's background.

We are home today, on what would normally be a summer workday, because Mia has strep throat. However, her strep is certainly not preventing her from making Cole laugh and cry simultaneously as she entertains/antagonizes him endlessly. I just sit and watch it all transpire.

We were just eating lunch, and Mia said, "Mommy, next Christmas I want to sing the Charlie song." I had no idea what she was talking about, so I tried to get her to sing a little. She sang, quietly, "Tis the season to be Charlie." Ah, I love that girl! She recently had her first dance recital, and I could not have been more excited to watch her!


And, at preschool, Cole has moved into the bigger boy class. He now sleeps on a napmat and follows the same schedule as the other kiddos. It is bittersweet for me. I want him to grow up, but it makes me so sad each time he hits a milestone. He may still be a tiny little guy, but he definitely has a mind of his own!


So, back to watching/refereeing the children.

Happy Days!

Well, we had a wonderful July 4th. We traveled to see Chris's brother, his wife, and his daughter. Mimi went with us, which pleased Mia immensely. We had a great time and Mia LOVED the fireworks!!! Here are some highlights...

* She played with some "poppers" during the day. Cole enjoyed watching her. :)

* We all watched Daddy and Uncle Tim set off big fireworks that night.

* She was up later than she had ever been before...and bouncing off the walls!

* Cole slept through all the fireworks like a champ.

* Mia shared a bed with me and Chris for the first time. She, having never slept in anything other than her crib, does not know bed-etiquette. She ended up pushing her feet into Daddy's back on the first night and kicking him out of the bed completely on the second night. Her feet ended the night where her head began. It was actually pretty funny!

* We did some outlet mall shopping, and everyone behaved. :)

We came home, hoping to have our new flooring installed this week. Chris hurried to get the kids' bathroom ready to tile...

but of course, the installation has been delayed until next week. I am beginning to think we will have to live forever with this nasty, now-painted carpet.

Yesterday, the kids, Momo, and I went swimming at Uncle Kenny's house. It was Cole's first time to get in the water. Look at this picture of Mia (left) compared to him at about the same age. Although I think Coley looks so much like Chris, he also looks like a boy Mia. Oh, and yes, I know he is wearing a girly hat. I just wanted something to cover his little bald head in the sun!

The girls all had fun swimming and eating.
And here's a view from the other side. :)

Home Invasion, I mean Rennovation 2008

Well, we have been mighty busy here at the house. Recently, we decided a few things about our home.

1 - I dislike the color of the walls in every room except our bedroom, our bathroom, the kids' bedrooms, and their bathroom.

2 - I really dislike the fact that there is carpet in the breakfast nook, the entryway from the backdoor (dogs?!?! wet paws?!?! carpet?!?!), and the kids' bathroom (really? potty-training with carpet?).

3 - I did NOT want Cole learning to crawl on the disgusting, old, stained carpet.

4 - Ultimately, before we move out (not that there are plans for that, but some day), we will have to change the flooring. Why wait and then let new people enjoy it? Why not change it for us to enjoy now?


So...the rennovations began. We planned ahead of time. We ordered the flooring, and Chris took last Friday and Monday off from work. We bought the paint (in total, we used 4 gallons of ceiling paint, almost 5 gallons of primer, and 10 gallons of colored paint) and prepared things. When Friday rolled around, Chris's first job was to paint the poorly-painted ceiling in the living room and kitchen. He did that in about 5 or 6 hours while I tried to entertain the kids while taping off the area to be painted throughout the rest of the weekend. On Friday night, we spent from 9 pm - 3 am Saturday morning priming and painting one coat in the living area, breakfast nook, and kitchen. I will save you the play-by-play of the rest of the weekend. It went pretty much like that.


Here are some things that I really don't love about any house project:

1 - The MESS! My husband knows this and really tries to minimize it, but it is inevitable.
2 - The stinking blue tape! It takes hours to put on and then I realize that I have not really started doing anything.

3 - Working into the late night hours - I like to go to bed at 10, thank you.

4 - Have I mentioned how the mess stresses me to the point of near insanity?

5 - Feeling like I am putting my life at risk - standing on the ladder in the tiny half bath trying to reach over and above the toilet cabinet is not fun.

6 - Trying to entertain a 2 year old and a 5 month old, while being productive at the same time. Honestly, it was often better for me to take them out of the house and just let Daddy work.

But I do love:

1 - Good friends and family members who help (thanks Momo and Mike) in some way, either painting or babysitting.

2 - Working into the late night hours, having hushed conversations with Chris (we didn't want to wake the kids), and watching Scrubs/The Office episodes.
3 - Putting it all back together at the end, and admiring the finished product.

So, now that the painting is done, we just have to wait until next Tuesday when the flooring is installed. Yea! :) Officially, every room except the laundry room has been painted in the one year we have lived here. And now, we have an organized playroom for the kids separate from our living room. With toddler and baby toys everywhere, it is nice to have it more contained. I will post after pics once we have the flooring.

After the long weekend of working, I felt like we needed to get out of the house! Yesterday, I took the kids swimming with some girls from our Life Group. They had a great time and Mia actually swam. I wanted Coley to swim, or at least let me hold him in the water, but he did not want it to touch him at all. He started huffing and sticking out his lip anytime his piggies touched. So, we sat on the edge of the baby pool and watched the girl "swim." Then, we met Zum the Mum, Karson, and Campbell at Pump it Up this morning. The big girls played, and Mia really enjoyed herself after getting used to it. She told Daddy on the phone "I was a little scared of the big slide, but I did jump!" After a wonderful lunch at Pei Wei, we are now home and both kids are napping - which is why I am finally blogging!!!

Some other recent highlights:

Cole and Campbell had another "date."
We attended Chris's 20 year Reunion and had a great time!!!

We celebrated Momo's birthday. As you can see, Mia loved the cake and Cole loved watching her!

Cole is now eating veggies. However, the green beans seem to make him a little constipated, so we are going to try a different veggie tonight.

Mia finished swimming lessons successfully. She was rewarded with a doll that actually pees. She picked it out.

Mia is peeing AND POOPING (the first time was today, after Pei Wei) in the potty much of the time. And wearing big girl panties.

We are heading to visit Chris's brother and his family tomorrow. Happy July 4th everyone!!!

P.S. I have a second interview for a Pre-School Director position on Tuesday, July 8. It will probably be about 6 pm. Please say prayers - it would allow me to be with the kids MUCH more!

Summer in Full Swing

Mia started swimming lessons this week. She took them last summer, and did quite well. We thought we were off to a good start this year...

but don't let her smile fool you. It quickly turned a corner when she realized her ears would have to go in the water. When she came out of the pool on the first day, I asked her how it was. She answered, "tough." Chris had said to her something along the lines of "I know it's tough, but..." and she retained the tough part. Thursday's class did not go well. I have no pictures, but you can just imagine her crying and crying and clinging onto her Daddy.

We also went "swimming" with some friends - which meant that Mia threw the rings into the pool for the big girls to get them. The water was pretty cold, so Cole did not get to use his new whale float. When I stuck his toes in the water, he made his super-sad face.

The weekend excitement began on Friday morning at about midnight. We were up watching the weather because there was a tornado warning around us. However, it looked as if it was going to be south of us, so we had no cause for concern. Then, George told us (meaning those who live precisely where we live) that we should wake the kids and take cover. Apparently, another storm began to show signs of rotation. So, we went upstairs and got both kids. I sat in the pantry holding both of them while Chris watched the news/weather outside. We were down there for about 20 minutes or so, and then returned the kids to bed. The funny thing is that Cole did not wake up at all, and Mia claimed not to remember it the next morning - although she was a little awake, talking to me and such. Needless to say, we were not hit by a tornado.

The next morning came too quickly, as a result of the pantry-time. Mia spent some time dressing up in her princess outfits...Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Ariel, respectively.

And Cole enjoyed watching the fashion show.

I posed them together and took some pics.

Then, we went to lunch with Momo. Both kids were great. Once home, I put Mia down for a nap and Cole and I crashed while she was sleeping - for an hour and a half! It was refreshing.

That evening, Chris and I went out to eat to (finally) celebrate our anniversary.

It was wonderful! Friday night was another great night of sleep for the kids, and a momentous one for Mia. She officially gave up all her pacis. She "gave" them to Cole and fell asleep without one, just like a big girl. We were worried that she would not sleep well as a result, but both kids slept fabulously!

Saturday was fairly uneventful. Some errands, another nap for both children at the same time (which is definitely the exception and not the rule), dinner at Hideaway. Cole reverted back to his norm, however; waking up in the 4 o'clock hour. He is fairly easily put back to sleep, but it still makes for an early morning.

We went to church on Sunday. The current series is One Prayer, and it is pretty awesome. This afternoon has brought some napping struggles with both kids (currently Cole is asleep on our bed and Mia is going on an hour and a half in her bed, not sleeping). This evening, we have Life Group and that's about it for the weekend!