Bad weekend to be Ryan

Aside from all of the things we did this weekend, Ryan also had his very own "hell" weekend.  Things started out great on Friday morning when Ryan came upstairs and announced he lost another tooth.  He proudly showed me the tooth, and then gave a great big smile so we could see the empty space in his mouth - this is where the "good" ended, and the "bad" started.  On Friday night, Ryan wrapped up his tooth and slipped it under his pillow with great anticipation of a visit from the Tooth Fairy.  Well, the next morning, I got up and went downstairs to find Ryan balled up crying on his bed.  Not knowing what could possibly be wrong at 7:15am, I asked.  Ryan's response . . . he lifts up his pillow and says, "the Tooth Fairy forgot about me."  Oh shit!  I was so tired the night before that I actually feel asleep before I had a chance to get downstairs and do my "Tooth Fairy duties."  The odd thing was that the tooth was gone, there was just nothing in it's place.  So unless there really is a Tooth Fairy and she just came and grabbed the tooth, that meant Ryan's tooth was still somewhere in the bed, or next to it - time for me to start making up for being such a lousy Tooth Fairy (and mom).  So I tell Ryan I'm going to run upstairs and tell Dad about this Tooth Fairy incident when in reality I ran upstairs and started digging into my purse.  Luckily I had some cash, and because of my colossal failure, I decided the Tooth Fairy was going to be extra good to Ryan this time around so instead of grabbing one dollar, I took two, and headed back downstairs.  As I was standing there telling Ryan about my fake conversation with Trav, I was able to slip the two dollars under his other pillow.  It was at this point that I came up with my "Tooth Fairy lie."  I told Ry that maybe the Tooth Fairy left the money somewhere else in the bed considering most kids his age don't have queen sized beds.  Somehow he believed this, and started to look through the bed again, and wouldn't you know it, he found the two dollars under his (second) pillow - yay!!  And although he was happy with his find, he just couldn't figure out why the Tooth Fairy got it wrong this time when all the other times she got it right - having nothing good to say, I just nodded and looked confused as well - at some point the lies had to end and this seemed like a good place.  With the money issue done, I still had the missing tooth to figure out (God knows he would have been , confused had he found the money and then found the tooth was actually still there - at that point, I would have had to get real creative with my storytelling (or as I like to call them, my lies).  With money in hand, I told Ryan he should go upstairs and show Trav what he got so as he did that, I pulled back his blankets and sure enough, there was the tiny little ball of Kleenex holding the missing tooth - thank God!  I grabbed it, stuffed it in my pocket, and the Tooth Fairy drama was officially over!  This little slip up isn't looking promising for the girls.  I have one kid with teeth falling out and I can't even get that right.  Can you imagine what it will be like when I have two or three - good luck with that!

Onto part 2 of Ryan's weekend from hell . . .  Steve-O finally kicked the bucket.  Yes, the fish that never dies but always looks like his dead, is now actually dead.  I'm not sure on the exact time of death, but we've estimated it happened sometime between Saturday and Sunday night.  It was on Sunday evening when I went to give him some fish food that I did my usual tapping on the glass to make sure he was still alive (yes, I do this almost daily because like I said, he always looks like he is dead), and got no response.  I then got a little more aggressive and actually shook the bowl, and that's when I knew for sure, Steve was a goner.  His tiny fish body just swayed in the little baby waves and upon closer inspection, I noticed he looked bloated and even a bit stiff - not good.  So I did what any other good mother would do, I told Trav the bad news, and had him relay it to Ryan while I put the girls to bed (I already had to deal with the Tooth Fairy issue, it was Trav's turn to step up).  When the girls were in bed, I headed downstairs to see how it went, and to my surprise, Ryan handled it like a champ (in fact, he was almost too interested in tv to even show emotion - clearly Steve's passing wasn't going to be a turning point in Ryan's life).  Trav did the honorable thing and flushed Steve down the toilet which Ryan said led to the ocean where he would get eaten by a shark (what a cruel ending to a family pet).  Whatever, at least it wasn't as bad as I expected it would be, and we were able to put Ryan to bed just like any other day without having to help him recover from his first "death" experience.

And just to top off the weekend, it was Daylight Savings and because Ryan never adjusts to easily to time changes, his Monday morning was a crappy one too.  I had to basically pull him out of bed and put his clothes on so he could get to the bus on time.  Here's hoping for a better week ahead!

One step away . . .

One step away from what . . . being free of all things baby!  Ellie took one giant step toward being a "big" girl this weekend, she ditched the crib (and I couldn't be happier, that thing was old, chewed up, and most certainly did not meet any safety guidelines - time for it to go)!  We made the big decision on Saturday afternoon (right before nap time).  All the kids were downstairs playing so Trav and I got to work and had the crib apart in no time.  With some quick rearranging, her "new" room was ready to try out.  Lucky for us, the girls were really tired by then so they opted to nap together in the big beds and even luckier for us, they did it!  No talking, no laughing, just lots of sleeping (it didn't hurt that Lauren was running a temp and didn't feel great, considering she is usually the one who does most of the talking and very little of the sleeping).  With nap time down, we only had bedtime to worry about, and just like nap time, it was a breeze.  Trav put her in bed, she stayed there and slept - piece of cake!  Here she is this afternoon napping away, and here is a quick picture of her room "crib-free."

Now that the crib is gone, we have one final step to being "baby-free" . . . potty training!  I'll enjoy the crib being gone for a while before I attempt to ditch the diapers, hopefully this summer.

Aside from removing the crib, we also used our free time (as I mentioned before, Lauren wasn't feeling great so she spent a majority of the day on Saturday on the couch watching cartoons, or sleeping, and Ryan and Ellie kept themselves busy) to finish up a few household projects.  First, and most important, was to hang the shelf above our bed so we could finally complete our bedroom remodel which was started by Ash and Mom while we were in Mexico (which was a little over a month ago so clearly we have been dragging our feet on this one).  After some measuring and trying out some of Trav's new tools, we got the shelf put up and pictures put in.  And if I have to say so myself, I think we did a fine job.  The arrangement of the pictures proved to be harder than we thought because as we both figured out, we like things to be perfectly lined up, or perfectly symmetrical, the whole "randomness" (which is apparently the look we were going for) was a little difficult to achieve, but after moving things around a little, I think we got it.  And if we didn't, we don't care because this will be the look of the bedroom for years and years to come (decorating and changing things up are two things I do not like).  Here is the final product . . .

With the crib gone, the shelf hung, some light bulbs replaced, and a little bit of shopping done, Saturday turned out to be both productive and relaxing.  By 8:30pm everyone was bathed and in bed (Trav and I weren't too far behind either, lights out came around 9:30pm for us).

On Sunday (today), Lauren woke up still not feeling great so I kept the girls home with me while Trav and Ryan headed out for Sunday School and church.  By the time they got home, Lauren was starting to come around a little - her fever finally broke, and she ate some real food - so we decided to head out for a nice little walk around the neighborhood.  After that, we had some lunch and while I stayed inside with Ellie, Trav took Ryan and Lauren outside to start work on a leprechaun trap (an optional school project Ryan brought home the other day).  Here are a couple of pictures of the three of them hard at work . . .

 

So far I've heard lots of hammering, no swear words (which is great considering a couple of the neighbor kids have made their way over to "help"), and the screw gun - should be interesting to see what they come up with!  If (or should I say, when), the trap is complete, I'll be sure to post some pictures.  They only have one hour left before we head out to the YMCA for our BodyPump class (Trav joined me last week and liked it so we're going back for round 2 of pure physical pain) so I'm not sure they'll get it done today, but luckily it's not due until March 16th so they have some time.

In other news, I'm still waiting on the phone call from Aaron and Ann to say it's time to have those babies.  I was sure it was going to happen this weekend, but as of yet, no call.  I haven't completely given up hope yet, there are still 9 hours and 20 minutes left of this day so they better get a move on!

Naptime

So lately Lauren has been really fighting naps (even more so than usual).  So everyday we go through a "little dance."  She tells me shes not tired (even though she was yawning on the way home from school), she asks me to read a book (or two), then she amazingly has to go poo (even though she just sat on the potty going pee for the last 5 minutes) - you get the idea, it is a struggle!  I'm sure some people would just say give up and let her stay awake, but the consequences of doing that (imagine a normal sassy Lauren and increase by 1,000) are terrible so naps are essential.  Anyway, getting back to the issue at hand . . . she talks, makes up excuses, laughs, all the while, I'm getting annoyed (she needs to sleep so I can get some blogging done!).  The past few days, our conversations about naps have changed.  We have gone from me just saying, "lay down and shut your eyes" to her asking, "can I just lay down and rest?"  My response is "yes", but no talking.  She comes back with, "ok, can I keep my eyes open?"  I say, "no, you have to rest your eyes too so they need to be shut."  Lauren responds with, "I'll shut my eyes, but can I still breeve (breathe)?"  Me (with a smile on my face), "yes Lauren, you can still breathe, just keep your eyes shut."  Finally, I fell like I actually won - all I had to let her do is breathe and she'll rest (which always leads to a nap) - not a bad deal!

In other Lauren news, I am seriously contemplating removing all of her clothes from her room.  She is the WORST human ever to get dressed.  I used to give her options, but when that starting taking 15+ minutes to decide what to wear, I started just picking out clothes for her and she went with it (until now that is).  Now, nothing is ever right; everything has to be in layers (because she insists on wearing shorts and skirts in the middle of winter), nothing I ever lay out is the right color, and most importantly, she insists on choosing her outfits based on what she "feels" like that day.  Can you imagine?  I'm her mom, I wear sweatpants, hoodies, and on a "nice" day, maybe jeans.  I could care less what I wear and somehow I was "blessed" with a daughter who can't stand the thought of wearing sweatpants when a jean dress would, "look cuter."  Her outfit dilemmas have led to more than one meltdown in the morning, and because of the meltdown, we've cut it close a few times getting to school so it is officially a PROBLEM!  What do I do?  Maybe start buying clothes that are all the same color (there goes the color problem), remove her clothes (which seems easy, but in reality will be much harder than I think), or just put up with it (and the meltdowns that are sure to follow)?  All I can say is that when she gets older, she can buy her own clothes (assuming they meet my standards), and I'll just stay away from her when she is getting ready - how much longer will that be?

Doctor Lauren

Miss Ellie has been a little under the weather today, but lucky for her, she has a loving (and very smart) big sister who can step right in and make everything better.  Here is a picture of the patient and doctor . . .

Shortly after this picture, Lauren gave Ellie the "green light" to get up and play when she listened to her breathing and declared, "you sound great!"  After 17 hours (yes, Ellie is very capable of sleeping for 17 hours a day) of sleep yesterday, Ellie is once again down for what is so far, a 3 and 1/2 hr nap.  Maybe after the nap, and another good night of sleep, she'll be back to herself.

In other news, I have been busy watching the Lady Jackrabbits of South Dakota State University advance to another championship game at the Summit League Tournament.  Let the March Madness begin!  Tip off tomorrow is 3pm sharp - not sure how that will work with nap time, but we'll figure it out!

Random pictures

I was going through my camera today when I found some random shots so I thought I'd share them with everyone.  First up are a couple of shots of the girls using our new vacuum.  I loved the vacuum the minute I used it, I loved it even more when the girls (who apparently do housework in skirts) wanted to try it out and did a good job of cleaning the floors for me.  Little vacuum, little girls, it is a match made in "Mommy Heaven."

The next picture is the girls having their first sleepover in Ellie's room.  Lauren got the top bed while Ellie opted for the trundle still laying flat on the ground (this proved to be a wise decision around midnight when I heard Ellie take a tumble - at least the floor was only inches away, and not feet!).

And the last one is what happens when a little boy is stuck playing with two very "girly girls" for days on end - eventually he just gives up and joins in on the fun, even if that means putting on a pretty pink skirt!

Spontaneous Saturday

Dentist, hair stylist and "tax person", these are the three people I(we) use who live more than 20 minutes away from us, and for good reason.  A dentist, well what do I really have to say about this one.  Ryan and I tried a dentist in Shakopee and it only took one visit for me to decide that driving to Mankato once (I know it is supposed to be 2 times per year, but I'm a little lax on that still) a year is well worth it to know that someone isn't going to charge me insane amounts of money to "fix" things in my mouth, or worse yet, in my kid's mouths that really aren't broken.  The upside to driving to Mankato for the dentist appointments, we get to hang out with said dentist and his family after the appointment is done - not a bad deal!  The dentist by the way is Brent Olson (I guess I should say, Dr. Brent Olson, but whatever) and he is a good one!  Hair stylist . . . well, I really didn't know what a "hair salon" or a "hair stylist" was until my late (or later) 20's.  Prior to that, a quick trim at Great Clips or any other place for that matter was good enough for me.  Well, it only took one amazing haircut and color to make me change my mind, and wouldn't you know it, that salon and stylist, is also in Mankato (I'm starting to see a trend here).  Since my first cut at Aveda, I have only had two haircuts outside of that place, and it wasn't good.  One looked like a mullet and the other had so many missed strands of insanely long hair all over my head that it got to the point where I actually had Trav take a big chunk and just cut straight across with one of our normal scissors at home.  Sadly, his trim was better than what I had started with - lesson learned.  And then there's the tax lady.  Prior to Trav working at his current company, we had always done our taxes on our own, and it was NOT fun.  We would stress out and read, and stress out some more, and to this day, I'm not completely sure all our of returns are correct - oops.  Well anyway, once Trav decided to start his own company, we were sort of forced into having someone do our taxes because as much as we would like to save a buck, neither of us are qualified in the area of "more than just  a basic tax return."  So after Trav chatted with a co-worker, this guy recommended a lady he used and was happy with, the only problem, the lady worked about an hour away from Shakopee (she better be damn good if I'm driving a full hour).  As it turns out, she is great!  From the first year to this year, she always gets things done quickly, and most importantly, we manage to get ourselves a nice little tax return - well, worth driving an hour for.

So after reading that, you might be wondering where I'm going with this.  Well, it is "tax time" and as usual, I like to get right on things.  So last week, I gathered up all of our tax documents and faxed them to the "tax lady" and one week later, she called to say the returns were ready - time to plan a trip "up north" to sign the returns.  Because the trip is boring and no fun for the kids, I try to plan something fun to do on the way home.  So this year, we packed up the kiddies, signed the returns, then played it by ear.  First up, we had to get something to eat, but then we realized how close we were to Troy's house so we decided to make a surprise visit first, and grab lunch after.  As luck would have it, Troy and EJ were home alone while Nicole was off "learning" so she can make more money.  Troy showed Trav and I all the remodeling that has been going on in his house while the kids played with all of EJ's toys.  After a while we all packed up and headed out for some lunch.  Once lunch was done, we finally got to the fun stuff . . . a trip to the zoo.  The weather was great and we were only a couple miles from the zoo so it was the perfect place to spend the afternoon.  We saw monkeys (EJ slept through this - apparently all that playing finally caught up to him), fish, seals, penguins, lions, tigers, and bears, and too many other animals to name them all!  Here are some pictures from the day.  Most are of the backsides of the kids as they were far too busy watching the animals to actually stop for a second and turn around.

EJ snoozing away

Ellie crouching down low to get a better look at the zebras

The things she says . . .

Lauren has been on a real roll these last couple of days (well, now that I think about it, it's actually been more like the last couple of weeks).  And by "on a roll", I am not referring to anything positive (think lots of naughty things and you pretty know what life have been like around here).  Where to start . . . well, I guess the easiest is to say that she has been super sassy lately (granted she is always sassy, but this is getting ridiculous).  She doesn't listen and has a comeback for everything even before you get your actual words out.  Timeout has become her "second" home and as usual, she doesn't really care.  If she can pick at someone (usually Ellie, and when she gets sick of her, she moves onto Colton), she does.  I'd have to have eyes not only on the back of my head to watch her every move, but a couple extra sets in all the walls as well, the girl is sneaky!  And when she finally does admit that maybe she did something wrong, in order for her to apologize for what she has done, she requests, no more like demands, that you apologize to her as well for making her feel bad (now that is some crazy logic).  And just when I felt like I could take it no longer, it seems like she has snapped out of it.  Today she woke up all bright and shiny, and through school, a play date, lunch, and nap time (which is happening right now), she has been a little saint.  I'm hoping this continues for the next couple of weeks and maybe, just maybe, she'll be her sweet little self that she is, and not that crabby, sass pants that she tries so hard to .  I guess we'll wait and see . . .

And in addition to her naughty behavior, she is also having some "word vomit" issues.  She says whatever she wants, whenever she wants to.  The other day while we were picking up toys downstairs, she says, "I'll play with those later so I'll just leave them on the floor."  I of course was at my wits end and replied with, "well then, I hope Scrappy pees on them because that's what he does to toys that are left on  the ground."  After that, she angrily puts the toys away and we head upstairs.  As we are walking, she mutters in a voice just loud enough for me to hear, "I hope Scrappy pisses on your leg."  So clearly we still need to work on that "piss" word - not good.  Then after dinner she again mutters in her low voice at the table, "God damn it."  Not knowing (okay, I knew exactly what she said, but I was hoping I got it wrong somehow), I ask her what she said, and she replies, "God damn it just like you said."  Now, I will be the first to admit that I have said my fair share of "God damn its", but I swear, on that night, I said no such thing.  She was just in one of her funks, and she was making the most of it.  And in one of her sweeter moments, she told me last night that she, "has a love potion on me."  Not really sure what that meant exactly, I asked her and she said, "you know, like how Barbie has a love potion on Brad."  Well, no I don't know that Barbie has a love potion on Brad, and whatever happened to Ken?  He is Barbie's soul mate.  Anyway, after much discussion, she let me know that not only does she has a love potion on me and Ellie (the three of us are "girl besties" so that is no surprise), but also on Dad and Ryan (but only when they are nice to her), and anyone else who is nice and wants to be her "bestie".  Oh to have to simple logic of a four year old!

Other than Lauren keeping me on my toes, we've been staying busy with the great weather outside.  I've managed to get in about a 45 minute walk everyday with Ellie, Colt, and the dog while the big kids are at school. We've also had Lauren's first preschool play date (her buddy Myles came over for the morning), helped celebrate EJ's 2nd birthday, had a fantastic Valentine's Day (the second portion of my gift - you'll remember the vacuums were my first - was to have the carpets professionally cleaned along with air duct and dryer vent cleaning - talk about romantic!), and have just enjoyed hanging out together (amazing how a little trip to Mexico can clear your mind and make you start to appreciate all the little things again instead of getting annoyed by them).  Overall things are good and my house looks and smells clean as can be - yippee!