Lazy Day

Ahhhh...rainy days. The kids slept in this morning (8:00) and they will more than likely take a long nap. Rainy days seem to induce sleepyness, for the most part. Two hours ago they were running circles around the kitchen table and screaming at the top of their lungs. But for now...silence.

Even though its cold and rainy today, last weekend was beautiful! We went to McClumpha park on Sunday afternoon to get our play on before the cold sets in.

Sorry for no details...but it is a rainy day.

You'll have to excuse me , but my tea is done and the sofa calls!

Houston...We Have A Dipper.

It's finally happened.

After all of the explanations, demonstrations, and exasperation...we have a dipper.

Not only do we have a dipper, but it wasn't with trendy mayo, or hoity toity ranch dressing.

That's right...it was good 'ole Heinz 57.

Well, to be completely truthful, her first dipping experience was a dino nugget into BBQ sauce, but I wasn't out of my mind proud until she discovered the magnificent french fry and catsup combination. Why, she was so impressed she actually dipped her cauliflower, zucchini, and broccoli into the Heinz as well!

Why is this such a big deal, you ask? Our children have been born to a pair of dipping fanatics. Bill loves his salsa and hot sauces, I will try any dip, any time, any place. We are both rabid Heinz fans - we have been known to never revisit a restaurant after discovering an inferior catsup product on the table...and we're not even from Pittsburgh!

Speaking of Pittsburgh, I have to thank my friend Leighla's son Aaron for his part in the learning process. We had all gone to Red Robin for dinner a few weeks back, and Reaghan seemed interested in watching Aaron perform the classic dipping motion. I think he may have finally set her the path to dipdom. You know how kids are, anything their parents do is très passé, but what their friends do...well that's an entirely different story!

Reflections

Here we are...Thanksgiving eve. A great time for reflection and thanksgiving (thus the name). I am trying so hard to remember last Thanksgiving, but all I can remember is that I was called into work on Thanksgiving, and that the babes were a handful. I think the Chateaubriand was underdone.

So here I am in 2006, Bill and Brent ran out for a manly beer moment, I have cornbread baking in the oven for dressing. The babes are sleeping. The house is quiet and full of the smell of the cornbread and the fire in the hearth. I have a full glass of wine.

Looking back over the years I realise it hasn't been easy...and trust me I have no expectations of ease for the next couple of years, but I think I am finally realising exactly what is important - what to be thankful for.

I am thankful for our health, happiness, and humility. I am thankful for what we have.

Are they Werewolves??

With all of the crazy nighttime activity and general foul moods around here lately, I actually checked a lunar calendar to see if maybe there is a full moon causing my darling children to morph into creatures of the night. No going, there is a new moon on Monday (cue Duran Duran), so we are no way near to the full moon.
So what gives? Last night for the fourth time in a week Nixon wouldn't fall asleep until Bill layed down with him in our bed, and he is our "good sleeper". Once he starts snoring, Bill attempts the ever tricky "Operation Crib Transfer" by crossing our very squeeky floors with said snoring toddler and potentially throwing his back out by trying to lift all 26 lbs of Nixon down into the crib without waking him, after which Bill must very slowly tip-toe out of the room and gently close the door. The mission takes like three minutes, which any parent will tell you feels like FOREVER when you are avoiding waking a cranky toddler. Well, Mission Accomplished and at 8:30 all was quiet.

Scene: Darkened bedroom, 4:00 AM
From down the hallway comes calls of "mama" from Reaghan.
I poke Bill and he rolls over and snorts.
C - "It's your turn."
B - "Huh?" Garbled noises. I poke him again.
C - "Reaghan's crying."
Bill gets up and goes to the kitchen for a cup of water (with a splash of juice for her advanced palate). He heads into the room and gives the cup to Reaghan who lays back down. As he leaves the room Nixon begins his patented "paint pealing scream". Bill goes to the kitchen and brings him back a cup of milk...no going. We let him howl for about ten minutes until Reaghan starts up too.
C - "Should I just go get him?"
B - "I don't care...I'm not going to get any sleep either way."

I scoop Nixon up from his crib and bring him to bed with us. After a few minutes it becomes apparent what the problem is. You see, Nixon is a finger sucker. Or, should I say, a finger connoisseur. Normally, he sucks his right hand index finger all night - that is unless his nose is so stuffed up that it makes the constant sucking a problem. I got up and got him decongestant.
Twenty minutes later I lay awake in bed listeneing not only to my darling husbands loud snores, but now my darling son's squishy finger smacking noises.
Bliss.

The Return of Demanda

Oh. My. Gosh.
Reaghan has been a total pain in the rear the last three days. She whines all. day. long. I know she is teething and has a cold, but its sooooo hard to maintain your own sanity when you have an 18 month old following you around the house all day and whining for something. To top it all off, she is on another hunger strike. Yesterday she ate maybe a half a bannana and a few crackers. Today she ate three (yes, I counted) Cheerios and a pretzel.

Here is a list of todays tantrums thus far:

1. Cried at the fridge for a juice box (7:15)
2. Cried at me for putting food in front of her (7:20)
3. Had a total meltdown when I would not let he have my purse (7:30)
4. Sat in the middle of the foyer and whined for no reason (7:35 - 7:50)
5. Cried in the den while pointing at the turned off TV (7:55)
6. Cried when I wouldn't let her have the phone (8:10)
7. Cried for some of her daddy's sport shake (8:30)
8. Cried when he took it away (8:32)
9. Screamed and bit me while I combed her hair (8:45)
10. Had a fit on the stairs when we were leaving the house (9:10)
11. Cried when I put her in the car (9:15)
12. Cried all the way to the gym while pointing at the light in the car ceiling (I think she thinks its a DVD player like the one in daddy's car)
13. Was having a total fit when I picked her up from gym daycare (11:20)
14. Screamed until I gave her my sport shake (11:22)
15. Cried all the way home from the gym.
16. Refused to eat lunch and cried "mama" until I gave her the container of Cheerios to play with (11:40)
17. Had another fit on the stairs on the way up to nap (11:50)
18. Bit me again while I was changing her clothes for nap (11:55)
19. Shoved her brother into the door (12:00) (Nixon cried for five minutes and he has a fat lip now)
20. One last fit was thrown when I put her in her crib for nap (12:15)

Aahhhhh...blessed silance. Naptime.

I think I'll need a stiff drink by the end of this day.

Stylin'

Here's some pics of Nixon and Reaghan getting their do's done at a new place called Cookie Cutters in Canton. They did a wonderful job and the place is fantastic! The slide was a super hit!!

The bird

I hate birds. Anyone who has known me long enough knows this little fact. They freak me out. Birds are vermin carrying, disease ridden flying rodents. I don't like the quick way they dart around, I don't like the way they tilt their heads, I don't even like the way they sound. They make me nervous.

Yesterday I was heading down into the basement with one of my daily loads of laundry when a bit of quick movement caught the corner of my eye. I turned, and this evil disgusting bird comes flying at me from Bill's workbench. I dropped the load of laundry and ran screaming back up the stairs...just like any sane person would.

I called Bill:

C - "You have to come home...there is a BIRD in the basement."

B - "How in the hell did you let the cat in without noticing a bird in its mouth?"

C - "I have no clue, but there is still a BIRD in the basement."

B - "Do you really need me now? Can I do it later."

C - "I suppose, but there will not be a stitch of laundry done in this house today."

For a moment I thought about blocking the cat door in the basement door, but I figured the thing would never get out of there without meeting up with a big black cat and that would solve my problem anyways. Gross or not, a dead bird is FAR better than a live one. I decided instead to take my mind off of the filty thing with some mindless internet viewing. As I surfed away, I could hear the thing in the wall behind the closet in the office. Our home is a tri-level, and the office closet backs somewhat into our cedar storage closet in the basement. After a while the fluttering stopped and I didn't hear a thing the rest of the day.

When Bill got home we armed ourselves with a broom and a Mag Light and headed out to do battle with the beast. We searched high and low in the basement to no avail. We tried throwing a rubber ball into the rafters above the cedar closet, but no telltale twittering or rustling was heard. We figured it had bashed itself to death in the wall and gave up.

This morning the kids and I returned from a trip to the gym and Target. I gave them some lunch and rounded them up to head upstairs to wash up for nap. I froze in my tracks. There, sitting on the banister in the foyer, was the beast. It was black with little white dots, and its evil yellow eye burned right through me. I screamed and the thing took off. It flew right up into the kids bedroom.

Phone ringing

B - "Hello."

C - "The bird. IT IS IN THE HOUSE."

B - "I thought I heard something this morning. Where is it now?"

C - "In the kids room, which is where we need to be right now, so I can't just close the door."

B - "Do I need to come home or can you handle this?"

C - "I hate birds."

B - "Cybill you cut dead people up for a living and you can't handle a little bird?"

C - "I guess. I'll give it a try."

I brought the kids downstairs and turned on the TV...somehow it was on a station that was broadcasting a Catholic mass...I took this as a good sign. I headed up to the bedroom.

When I got to the door, I eased myself into the room and did a careful sweep complete with a little darting look around the door (boy I watch too many cop shows). I found the beast on the window sill.

C - "Okay...I don't like you, and you don't like me, and I am sure you would rather be out there so lets just stay calm and we can get through this." (once again...I watch way too many cop shows)

I slowly reached up and eased the window open. The bird stayed quietly where it was on the sill. I slid the screen aside and stepped back. The bird didn't move.

C - "Go ON! GIT"

It took off out the window, and I collapsed into a heap on the floor.

I hate birds.

Halloween Fun!

We took the kiddos down to Plymouth on "Devil's Night" for the annual Downtown Plymouth Great Pumpkin Caper - this is a really super cool event where all the kids dress up and trick or treat door to door at all of the Plymouth retail shops. It was fantastic!

Nixon was highly impressed by an adult dressed like Gene Simmons, and Reaghan was excited by the many doggie sightings along the route - some were even in costume! We met up with some friends and their kids and even though we only did a block everyone had a great time.

Bill's aunt came across a bunch of old halloween costumes that Bill's grandma had sewen for his cousins, so we ditched our initial idea (cowboy and cowgirl) and went instead as a teddy bear (Nixon) and a bunny (Reaghan). Surprisingly it wasn't much of a fight to get them dressed up, and they even kept the hats on!

We didn't end up trick or treating on Halloween, after all of the fun the kids had the night before they were still pooped the next day. I think alot of that has to do with the time change - it sucks how long it takes to get them adjusted. We were just getting used to their new habit of sleeping until almost 8:00 when the whole deal got flipped over on us. They've been waking at 6:45 now. Yuck. Hopefully after this weekend they will be fully adjusted and back to their normal schedule.

One thing that Halloween reminded me of is the fact that "The Holiday Season" is right around the corner. YIKES!

So much for that plan I made back in August to be done shopping by the end of November - I haven't even started!