Wordless Wednesday

 I can't think of anything to say today, and since I haven't put any pictures up recently, I thought it was time to do a picture post...

The V-Day party at Preschool

Our Secret- that quickly became public knowledge!

Yes, Brandon is riding the horse!



Just out of this picture, Brandon is taking a ride!



Despite the face, he does love his chore chart!  He has already earned a trip to the zoo, but we are still waiting on a warm day! 

Habits, and breaking them!

We have created a creature of habit.  He is into routines, and everything same.  We did this. Intentionally.  We knew that creating sameness gives to a sense of normalcy, and security.  We wanted him to always feel safe.  I think we have done well to accomplish that.  He has little fear, although he is shy, but I believe that is passing. 

Today has me thinking about all the things we have done to create routine in this child.  It started before he was born.  When I was still pregnant, I would blast a kid's CD in the car when I was all alone, sometimes singing along.  I think I read somewhere that this was good for their development before they were fully developed... Being a good first time mommy, I did it.  Low and behold though, once he was here, and we were driving in the car, if he got irritated, I could pop in that CD, and it was an instant calm.  It was amazing, and wonderful.  We have since misplaced it, but I am planning to do the same for the new babe.  Purely for sanity's sake on long days of running errands. Or road trips.  I need to get on that......

Back to why I am thinking about routines.  Today, I made the mistake of turning on the radio in Preston's room, to let him listen to the radio while getting dressed.  I thought it would entice him back to his room so we could get ready for preschool.  It worked.  Now, though, the CD player won't play.... If you have ever been in my child's room, you know that he has 24/7 classical lullabies playing.  It has gotten to the point that Brandon can't sleep without it either. 


Rest Time is not going well.  I can't make a peep.  He hears me. There is no music in there playing to drown my noises of laundry, tidying, possibly putting more tape up for painting in the nursery.  I am closed off in my bedroom, hiding out. If you want to think of me sitting on my bed with the covers over my head, my comforter is dark gray and silver.  I'm not, but I halfway feel like I should be.  He was acting really sleepy at lunch, and probably needs a good rest today.  It might help everyone this afternoon.

He is so attached to this music, and I have been over to his room no less then 7 times in 50 minutes.  I don't think I will ever get this post out.  I like that he likes his routines and when one falls out of place, he acts as if his left arm is somehow missing.  I like that he knows what to expect.  We did this.  It is our fault that he can't rest without the precious music.  I knew this day was coming, I did get this CD player for Christmas from my parents when I was in MIDDLE SCHOOL.  I am not going to go into how many years that is, but trust me, this CD player has put in its time. 

So, in a panic, I call Brandon and tell him he must go to walmart and get a new one, as he is stopping by here before he has to go to an appointment up here.  He doesn't have time.  So here I am, hiding out.  Pray that I can find something quiet to entertain me until 3 o'clock when rest time is over! 

First Follower!

I haven't been on in a while, it has been all I can do to read my favorite blogs! I apologize for my lack of entertainment.  Maybe this is why I only have one bona-fide follower, but I know you all are out there because the stats say that you are!  Thanks Carly for being my first! ;)

Onto the good stuff... We have had a lot of spring like days lately and it has been blissful!  I was being to feel that I had lost "it,"  my desire to do anything spontaneous, fun, exciting.  We had become creatures of habit. Monday- groceries, Tuesday- preschool, Wednesday-nothing, Thursday-preschool, Friday-possibly Pump It Up.  I had lost my desire to be outside and moving.  The fact that I am 25 weeks pregnant is not helping me get off my tail either. 

However, in the last week or two we have seen lots of 50-60 degree days, and I have gotten it back.  Either that or I have started nesting.  I believe nesting has something to do with lots of cleaning and organizing, and I am ashamed to say, that is not what has started around here!  We have been what I like to call parking it a lot.  We visited the awesome park in town that has something for everyone, including a bike trail.  The day that we went though the bike trail was a bust because there was 100mph winds, making it impossible to ride anything.  Coolest thing yet, though, happened last week.  We discovered a secret, not half a mile from our house!  We have a new playground, and we found it first!  I don't know that we really found it first, we just got there first!  It is AMAZING and wonderful considering the size of our little community! It has the TALLEST slide, that Preston hugged me tight and we FLEW down! I wish I had had my camera the morning we went and snapped a thousand pictures of the joy of our discovery. 

It was so exciting that as soon as Dad walked through the door he heard all about it, until we loaded up, and walked back to the playground. We wore short sleeves and walked! It was wonderful to have the sun on our backs, heating us, while we walked/waddled back. Preston showed his dad all the cool new stuff, and gave him the grand tour before our secret was discovered by every kid in town within 30 minutes.  It was almost comical at the number of kids pouring out of the minivans!  It was fun to sit back and watch Preston make new friends and learn their games.  It is amazing how much he has grown in the past three and a half years, that now he will play with random kids at the park without us.  It makes me a little sad to see him gain that independence from us, but glad to see that he will be self-sufficient one day!

Today, though, schools were closed, yes, closed.  We got enough ice to make it dangerous for the kids to be out and about (at least at school) today.  I didn't want any part of it.  So we dropped the blinds, stayed in our jammies, and made plans to work on the nursery and get it ready for painting. Then later we planned to fill the tub, and play pool.  That is where we are now. I am typing this from my beach chair in the bathroom, while my little three year old gets wrinkly in his swim trunks.  While typing Buzz and Woody have each had a time out, and now some kind of Tarzan game ensues. It is entertaining. I hope that the promise of 50 degree comes back soon. I don't want to get back in a rut. 

It's coming, yesterday was proof!

Oh, how I love Spring and Summer, and have been looking forward to them since it officially became Fall!  It is so bad, that I even have Preston believing that winter is no good, and he will occasionally throw me a bone, and tell me he doesn't like winter either! 

Yesterday was a perfect day.  It was like God knew that we needed a reprieve from all this bitter cold and snow, and wrapped up a nice beautiful sixty degree day and plopped it on our doorstep.  Right after Phil failed to see his shadow, so only 6 more weeks until Spring!  It made me giddy!  I had to go down to my mom's in Staunton to pick up some boxes from her, so I thought we would make a day of it, and feed the ducks at the park in Staunton. 

It was gorgeous out. Preston fed himself and the ducks, although the swans were his favorite and he only wanted to let them eat. I didn't even worry about the mud. Preston had such fun running out his energy, and breathing in the fresh air.  We even took the long way out of the park to leave our windows all the way down just a little longer.  I didn't want the day to end. I wish we could have stayed in the warmer sunny air until it was time for the seventy, eighty and ninety degree days when we will sit around at the pool all afternoon. 

When we got home, I was so ready for summer, and long days at the pool, I asked Preston if he wanted to sign up for swim lessons again this year. Of course, since he doesn't truly remember the money we wasted last year pleading with him to do what his teacher asked, he was thrilled at the idea!  I called the pool this morning to sign up, and lo and behold, they haven't started lessons yet, but I am only two weeks early. 

Of course it seemed that as quickly as the wonderful day came, in came the blistering cold winds, wiping away any trace of spring.  Nothing would make me happier than to see all the snow melt, and have it be done until the next Christmas. By the time Brandon and I got home from our date night, we were freezing again, and I was wishing for summer again.  Soon, it will be here soon.

New leaves

So life is changing for us, in more ways than one.  We are adding to our family, I am officially a stay at home mom, and I am going to start cooking meals.  I am putting this in writing and hoping (praying) that this will keep me accountable.  I hate how often we eat from a can, or out of the freezer.  I don't want my kids growing up on boxed dinners. 

It all started when I stopped working outside the home, and started doing child care.  It became impossible to cook a meal that would have been done at a decent enough hour to eat.  It has frustrated me for far too long, and now that I am no longer doing child care, I am getting my house clean and organized, and I am going to start making home cooked meals again!  This excites me more than you know.  I love to plan meals and than have them turn out delicious and yummy.  Seeing my child regain his appetite would be a major plus too! 

I started my quest my browsing a few blogs and getting some ideas.  I found several that I have bookmarked, and several that just seemed to steal recipes off cooks.com or another similar website.  I found one that did seem to do her own recipe and I hope I have found a new favorite at our house- homemade pop tarts!  Sound great right? I will let you know tomorrow if they are a hit!  Now just getting up before everyone to make them before everyone else scarfs something down! 

We started the day making banana bread, instead of just throwing away the three last bananas that were becoming riper by the minute.  Preston thought it was great to mash up the bananas, he thought he was getting away with murder!  I wish I had taken pictures, but it was too risky that the bananas end up on the floor or in the wrong bowl, so maybe next time. 

Some of the recipes I came across sounded oh-so-good, but seemed too intimidating for me.  I thought maybe I will be ready for them by summer. I am going to stick with this, I feel I have to, for my kid's health, for my family's health.  I don't want my kids growing up on fast food, and boxed dinners.  I told Brandon a couple weeks ago that I wanted to join a CSA, and he responded quickly with "Next year."  I am going to remember that.  I love the idea of getting a week's worth of produce every week all year!  Imagine how diverse our meals could become! 

Dinner this evening was baked potatoes with chilli, cheese and sour cream and a salad.  Preston ate all his salad, and all but two bites of his potato, and all but one section of a mandarin!  He stuffed himself to the brim, it was truely a lot of food.  I would have loved to had more chilli, but this child growing in my belly had other plans that involved taking up as much space in my belly as possible, so I could hardly sit comfortably, let alone eat. 

I have plans for every night this week, plus some.  I look forward to feeding everyone home cooked meals that are satisfying.  We are turning a new leaf in this house, starting today.  No longer will I only cook meals on Christmas morning, and birthdays, if I even cooked on birthdays.  My kids will know that they can go out and play as long as they are back in time for supper.  My dream would be that they would want to be home for supper, but I know that is a dream because I am sure that they will rather eat with their friends! 

So wish me luck, and send me any ideas you have for our new dinners!

Sweet Kisses

I have almost reached the halfway point in this pregnancy.  It is such a huge relief to feel the little flutters and occasional kicks this babe sends out.  It has been a long emotional road to get to this point. 

Preston is excited about being a big brother, and is taking it very seriously.  He has big plans to teach this baby everything he knows, and then some.  He looks forward to feeding and holding the baby, and says that they will have slumber parties all the time.  He hasn't grasped that at first this baby isn't going to be as much fun as his buddies at preschool.  He has started kissing his baby, but is really shy about showing affection to the baby, and doesn't like even Brandon to see him do it.  It is our little secret, and I am working on him being okay with loving the baby.  It melts my heart, and I hope and pray that even though there is such a large gap in their ages, that they will adore each other, and be really close growing up. 

I hope and pray constantly that this child continue to be well and healthy, and continue that way until June (or the end of May.)  I pray that he or she is happy and healthy and thrives in life.  I want nothing but the best for my children. I want nothing more than to see them grow up into adults and have a life that they consider successful, even if I don't.  I want them to love deeply, and live fully.  I want them to get the most out of whatever their crazy lives offer up. 

I look forward to the challenges that two children will bring.  I look forward to the fun of two kids as well, especially the matching outfits, and coordinating Halloweens!  I look forward to the day when they are both old enough to send out in the back yard to play all morning, and then lazy summer afternoons splashing in the pool.  I look forward to the fighting and not wanting to share, and helping them to learn to love one another.  I hope that they have a close relationship as adults, and know that they can depend on each other long after their parents are gone. 

I can't wait to meet this little one, as worried as I am for Preston because this will change the world he knows drastically.  I hope and pray that he takes this in stride, and loves his baby.  I hope that he doesn't resent this baby forever (I know it will be inevitable at times.) I worry that he will feel like he doesn't get enough attention after the baby gets here because he has been numero uno for so long with all of his relatives.  He loves the days that he gets to spend with his granddaddy, and they are quite the pair.  I know those days will be great for him when he is feeling neglected. 

I am working really hard to enjoy this pregnancy, and not worry over every little thing that may or may not mean something is wrong.  My doctor tells me that this may be the last one (not if I have anything to do with it) and that I should soak up the joy of pregnancy.  He obviously doesn't know that I am not a fan of pregnancy, and that I miss running terribly since he found out I was pregnant again.  I look forward to the day that I will feel comfortable enough to leave the baby for an hour, and go for a run. I am counting down the weeks to June, and when this little bug will make its appearance. 

We had a good run...

So we thought we had a great Christmas present for Preston.  He has been begging for a big dog for months, telling everyone that all he wanted for Christmas was a big dog (or a big motorcycle.) Well, a few weeks ago, we had someone offer us a black lab.  We went to visit her, and everyone got along great, had a good time, and so we set up a date to pick up Miss Tilly. 

In order to make this his Christmas present, we told him that since Santa was going to be so busy in the next couple weeks, we needed to watch his dog for him until Christmas Eve, and then Santa would take her home with him.  The original plan was to have a letter from Santa on Christmas morning explaining that he had done such a good job taking care of Tilly that he wanted Tilly to stay with Preston.  I was even planning to take this letter to the mall and have Santa read the letter on video! 

We picked Tilly up yesterday, and everyone continued to get along great.  Once we put Preston down for nap, we noticed that Tilly had, in a way, claimed Brandon.  She was attached to his hip. Everywhere he went, she went.  He went to the grocery store, and she whined the entire time he was gone.  Once Preston woke up from nap, he wanted to play, play, and play with Tilly, and she had become standoffish.  She really wanted very little to do with him.  She didn't want Preston playing with Brandon.  It got exhausting telling him to leave her alone because she didn't want him near her. 

This morning I got up early to let the whining dog out, and sat out in the living room with her.  Preston woke up and came and cuddled with me, and after about an hour, he was ready to play with Tilly.  She still had no interest in playing with him.  He kept trying to lay down next to her, and she moved three times, and after the third time, she snipped at him.  He wasn't hurt, just warned to leave her alone.  He cried, and cried, and I explained to him that he has to give her space. That she isn't used to someone trying to play with her all the time.  He didn't get it.  So it isn't Tilly's fault.  It is just circumstances.

We are going to give Santa his dog back tomorrow evening, and it breaks my heart.  She really is a great dog, she is super sweet, and loving. I am going to miss her sweet face. She would be great for an older couple, or even a couple without children, but we just aren't those people.  I am really going to miss her, and I know that Preston will be heartbroken.  At the end of the day though, his safety is number one, so we are going to give her back tomorrow.