December 22

Our Internet is final back up and running. The storm that we had last week ruined our telephone/DSL lines and then I guess a squirrel chewed through one? Whatever.


AND. I have a battery in the camera!! Woo hoo! Finally I know. Anyway. I didn't take pictures of Saydee helping to decorate the tree but I did get a picture of her in front of the tree the other night.




She rearranges the tree daily and takes every ornament she can reach off of the tree. I couldn't figure out where she was putting them at first, but now have realized that she hangs them from our wrought-iron dining room chairs and has her own little decor studio under there. kinda cute. Christmas is right around the corner, we will be finishing our shopping today. I'm excited to come home to wrap all of it! We are expecting another storm this week and I am so nervous about sisters and boyfriends coming! I hope they don't get suck anywhere.





I guess not much to report. Here is a picture of my favorite fat boy. So stinkin cute!

December 11

We just had a HUGE snow storm here in Iowa. I grew up around snow so it certainly wasn't the first time I'd seen this, but Miss Saydee has been quite impressed! I'm sure that we will be playing in it later today seeing as we made an emergency trip to Target yesterday for snow boots and waterproof gloves. And, believe it or not I do think that we are getting a new battery for the camera (cross my fingers) so I can start taking REAL pictures. Thank God for the iphone, but I'm ready to have the zoom option again!

Yesterday Saydee took a rather late nap, not that I hold her to any routine so I'm pretty much asking for random sleep habits... any way, I told her she could stay up till Daddy got home, which didn't wind up being till about 11:30 last night. Of course she was so excited when he came home and tons of snuggling and tickling ect. Well Eric, creature of habit, takes a bath every night when he gets home from work. I say a bath because we still don't have a shower (more on our house later). Well I had asked that Sayd not get in with him which she usually talks him into since she was already in a clean diaper and jammies. I was in the living room and could hear them playing and singing, and then....... a big splash followed by Eric's laughter and him calling for help! Sure enough the Toot fell in. We have a super deep tub and i guess she was reaching for her toothbrush (it was swimming) and slipped right in. She was upset to say the least. Not happy about having wet clothes. Wish I would have taken a picture of her standing in the water bawling.... Maybe after I get the camera up and running!

November 19th

Chunk is not very Chunky!

I took Bryce to the doctor yesterday for his 6 month well child, and he is only.... 15 pounds!!! That puts him in the 20 something percentile! Little teeny man. Hes just to die for. cutest thing ever.

Holidays are on their way and I think i might try and decorate a little today...

Amy and ROBERT are both coming for Christmas this year. Cant wait! Ash is having trouble finding a good ticket, so I am going to search for her today.

It is so foggy outside. Im sitting here sqeezing my coffee cup feeling like the season is truly changing again. makes me want to travel!

November 12

I told Eric last night that I wish I could video tape the kids all day long! They do the funniest stuff and it always catches me off guard!

Saydee has recently been eating my lipsticks... maybe eating isn't the best word, she is applying the whole tube... at once. She just talks all day long. If there is something she doesn't want she always says "No way Mom". She has been playing some games on my iphone and is SO good at them it makes me laugh. Every single time she 'wins' the game it plays a congrats song and she tries to hide a smile but just erupts with joy! To watch her be proud and happy is an overwhelming feeling. She is the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen.

Bryce is almost 6 months old. He is getting too big!! Wearing 9 month clothes!!! He can almost sit up on his own, but would prefer to be held. He eats cereal and had applesauce for the first time at Grammy's the other day.

I'm just sitting down to email the family about Christmas so we can decide what we will do for each other.... I cant believe its so close, and I CANT wait to all be together!

November 9th

Bryce and I are just sitting here looking at each other. I don't think that you could ever find a happier face at 6 in the morning! He is changing so fast. His hair stands straight up on end so he has this halo of fuzz surrounding him... so cute. He is eating solid foods now and can sit up on his own for a few seconds. He gets excited and tips over.

Saydee is such a big girl all of the sudden. ill post later about her new big girl bed. She talks so much and she is the busy person alive.

I'm so lucky to be with them all day.

Saydee wants a Big Girl Bed

10:00 am

Eric goes to get Saydee out of her crib. She's not in it. He sees her. Quietly sitting in her rocking chair with 'B' and a baby doll. Not to mention that she has gathered all light weight items in the center of her room.

PANIC!

He asked her how she got out, which she obediently showed him, and after placing her back in the crib she kindly demonstrated by climbing right back out.

Hmmm.

I am thinking that we have and issue. Eric will be closing tonight so I will do bedtime ALONE and I am thinking it might be trickier than I think.....

to be continued....

I'm the worst blogger...

I want to be so good at blogging!! but I'm not.... I feel like every time I get on here I have to back track and catch up with everything that has been going on! Oh well... Here goes

We went to California for Natalie's wedding, AWESOME! the kids were so great. We were at the beach every day and got to spend some good time with Ashley and my girlfriends who all made it to town. Also we rented the worlds ugliest car and I never took a picture of it... oh well.

Bryce had officially stopped taking a bottle and cried whenever he saw one. I have spent about 15 hours the past few days teaching him that they too can deliver the so desired milk. He is doing a great job, but requires me to pump in order for him to have something to drink. Not really my favorite, but this way Eric wont have to bring him to me every few hours on Saturday!

We took the kids to the doctor on Tuesday. Saydee is 25 pounds and she is 33 inches tall. She just thinks shes tall and walks around telling you that. Her brother who is becoming well known as "The Tank" or "Chunk" is only 14.5 pounds. I was so sure that he was over 17 and Eric guessed over 20... not as big as we assumed! He really is growing so fast. They both are!

Saydee had her second birthday on Monday. Oct 5th. I cant believe that it has been 2 years~! But at the same time I honestly cant remember what it was like before she was around! We has a Black, white, light pink polka dot party and just family and a few close friends came. So nice. We are so lucky to be surrounded by so many we love!

The weather is getting cold, which probably means that I will be staying home a lot more, maybe you'll hear from me more often!! Life is good

Bryce has a big day

As I last wrote, Eric is out of town. On Monday night Kim took Saydee to spend the night leaving me and Mr.B ALONE!!!! It was such a nice break. I went and picked up my mom and we went shopping. I had tons of gift cards to use up so it felt really good to come home with actual bags full of stuff!! (for free) Its probably the first time I have tried on clothes since before i had Sayd....

Well Bryce of course went with us and I think he just LOVES to shop. He was in the best mood, just sitting in his stroller, looking around, smiling at everyone who came into view. We went to so many stores and he never got cranky. We decided later that it was most likely due to the fact that his big sister wasn't with us yelling or poking at him....

I was checking out at the gap when I glanced down at him to see this

Just sucking away at the little thumb he found!!

Later that night I was at a friends house coloring her hair and again he was just in the best mood. Not a peep the whole time i worked! Right before I was ready to leave Bryce was being held and was watching a couple of dogs run in circles and he LAUGHED!!! Out loud... honestly the cutest noise Ive ever heard!

Big Man In Town

I just dropped Eric off at the airport. He is on his way to Pheonix for his 2nd ever business trip! He's going to his official OP orientation and a great chance for some big-shot networking. I am so proud of him for his accomplishments thus far and I can't wait to see what he achieves in the future. He is so great at his job and I hope that I can be as committed and driven to my "jobs" as he is with P.F. Changs.

Eric I love you so much and I am so lucky to have such a talented, motivated, encouraging and loving person as my husband.

Big and Little

Saydee's vocabulary is growing every day. She is constantly asking questions and when you teach her a new word she is quick to try it out. However the concept of Big and Little is one that she doesn't want to learn! She has her own method of thinking about sizes. Everything is either a Daddy, Mommy, or Baby! The above picture is her with a dad mom and baby pitcher from her kitchen! If you try and correct her prepare to get reprimanded, and remember that even candles are moms, dads, and babies......

quick update

The end of summer is almost here. Its a little sad to watch how fast it has come and gone. Same goes with the kids! They change so fast! Bryce honestly looks different everyday and Saydee is become such a big girl!

She has recently had her bangs cut... I think that it just accentuated her mullet.. pig tails are a necessity now for her to look normal! She had a bad dream a few weeks ago. It was 3 in the morning and I was on the couch feeding Mr.B and i could hear her screaming from her room. Eric went and got her and brought her to the living room while he made her a bottle... She came and sat next to me and began to explain that there are bugs in her bed and all over B which is her blanket... she again fell apart and wouldn't take B convinced that there were bugs all over it! She also informed me that they were outside. Eric checked her room and no bugs... She went to bed with him and i stayed on the couch. I feel bad that she has bad dreams, but I am SO glad she can tell us about them!

Bryce is learning to roll over. He fell off the couch the other day. I feel so bad. He is so smiley! The minute you come into view he just wiggles with excitement! He is such a good boy and only fusses when hes hungry, which actually is a lot!! He prefers to eat little bits at a time, like every 20 minutes! Which really sucks when we go somewhere and I have to go find somewhere to nurse!

Eric is home today and the kids are both taking a nap. We will most likely take them to the park pretty soon and take advantage of the warm weather. Get as many outside days in while we can... Winter always comes too soon.

Today is my 25th Birthday!

I have a horrible cold, as do both of my babies, and Eric is out of town... Leaves me at a disadvantage of caring for my kids the right way! But they are smiling none the less. We made a big bed on the living room floor and are watching movies all day long! Even through all the snot and coughs and running eyes I could never ask for a better birthday gift than snuggling with them on the floor for my day!

Shopping goes bad

Shopping used to be my favorite 'stay at home mom ' thing to do. When Saydee was a baby we would walk the mall, Target, TJ Maxx, BRUs, usually not buying, but we were there none the less. As she gets older it has been getting harder. We still went a lot in the winter especially since it would be so cold out we would go there to exercise. Since we have added a new baby to the mix shopping has become an adventure. My first trip alone with 2 kids was to Target and I pulled into the parking lot, turned the car off, got out and stopped. I couldn't even decide which door to open first. Which child to load in first? Who do I leave in the car the longest? Are they both ok in there while i go get a cart? Will Saydee hold my hand in the parking lot and walk into the store? prob not.

I'm much more confidant now and I park next to a cart coralle and load them up right there and push them in. In the last few weeks its been so hard to take them together that I just kind of gave up. My mom who just had brain surgery has to walk everyday as a part of her recovery and so we went to the mall together the other day and took both kids. I don't have a double stroller so we brought 2 strollers and each pushed one of the kids. They did great!! After like the 4th store we went to Sayd got anxious so I let her get out and she could push the umbrella stroller that she was in. Let me preface this by saying that my mom and I were both standing RIGHT next to her. I must have blinked for too long because when I glanced down at the stroller that Saydee was pushing it was there, standing still, but NO ONE was pushing. She had run and the scariest part was I had no idea where she went. No clue as which direction I yelled to mom to stay put and I just started running. I was watching others as they shop to see if there heads would turn to watch the little two year old blond girl running on her own but no one was moving. I couldn't breathe but found myself praying for her. I actually stopped and started to think of another strategy... still praying... and I could hear my mom across the department store yelling for sayd and trying to bribe her with gum if she would come back....

then the tiniest voice came from my left. she said "me? (Grammy) mom? I have definitely never ran so fast. When she saw me coming guess what she did?!! Wish I could say that she ran joyfully into my arms as kids do in movies when they were lost.... Not mine. She screamed and took off the other direction laughing in hysterics like it was the coolest game she's ever played.

After I caught her and walked back to "me" who almost had the store clerks calling for help, I locked her back up in seat belt and tried to explain how she has to stay close to me. She has no concept of someone taking her. I guess in a 2 year olds mind clothes racks and long isles is a hide and go seek haven...it's my new worst nightmare.

Eric and I just got home from a family trip to TJMaxx. He needs new dress clothes and I'm looking for a dress for summer weddings. We took turns. He tried on and I stayed with the kids. We sat in the isle and read books and played with the toys till Eric was done. When he came out we explained to her that now she had to sit with Daddy till mom was done. I tried on 3 dresses and on my way out of the dressing room I could hear her yelling. They were waiting for me outside the room and Eric looked stressed. He says "there was almost a child-abuse situation here". Apparently she ran from him, and shes fast, and he had to leave Mr. B in the cart to try and catch her. By the way Bryce is dying from the common cold today so he has been crying this whole trip too. I took sayd to the car. Both kids have now pooped their pants and have to get changed in the car.

This just confirmed it. i cant go shopping anymore with them. even with another person. ill have get a sitter just to buy new underwear. I love them anyway

Big Events

Well. Here is my very first blog.

I decided that I would start writing when one of my kids did something 'Big'. For example. I should have started the day that Bryce got his first shots... or the day that Saydee said "Love You"... or the first time Bryce smiled. That would have been the right time to start blogging.

I needed something that would kick things off right. Something to motivate me to continue my writing, bringing me back everyday to keep track of the memories we make... That's when it happened.

We live in a small bungalow with two bedrooms on the main and a small staircase that leads upstairs to a little living area/bedroom which is basically our closet and we 'live' downstairs. Well Saydee (almost two) is always following me around and she was up there cleaning with me and dancing in the mirror, and reorganizing things, you know...the usual. She headed down and I told her I would be right there. About 30 seconds later it happened.... 8 bangs in a row. One for each of the stairs that she hit on the way down. I knew that she had fallen but I couldn't move. I calmly walked to the staircase waiting for the WAIL to begin, and when it did I took off. There she was a teeny heap at the bottom of our 14, steep, 1910 stairs. After understanding that every bone could still bend she hopped up and wanted to climb right back up. She started up the stairs just in time for me to see a bright red right butt cheek. ( oops forgot to mention she was naked... she's 2. 2 year olds don't like clothes) The compassionate mother that I am grabs my camera and creates a "cheek" photo-op to commemorate the event.

So I hope this helps you learn a little about my family. Or at least about me. That a raspberried tush is much more fun to remember than learning how to use the potty ( we're working on it). I'm sure to be back soon with stories of wonderful times, more owies, but most importantly to share the laughs I have with my kids everyday.

till then here's a good shot of Miss S from behind.