Peach Pickin'

A few weeks ago, the next door neighbors who we have been adopted by, invited us to go to the farm and pick peaches, blackberries and veggies!!  We trekked over to a cute "non-commercialized" family owned farm over in Illinois.  It was so H-O-T, but so much fun!!!  The boys had a blast and their favorite part was feeding the sweet little goats!!!  My favorite part was eating the home made peach cobbler that my mom cooked when she got here the following day!!  Oh and the home made mixed berry jam made by our sweet adopted next door grandma!!!  YUM!!! 

What the hey...

We just got home from baby WT's 18 mo check up at the doctor... He is only in the 3rd percentile on weight and the 7th percentile on height but his head circumference is in the 95th percentile... And as his big bro RT says he is "PRECIOUS"... but the doc just says he is "petite" like his mom (LOL - I think she was mocking me and I almost hit her) (Seriously) (NO SERIOUSLY)... So 4 shots for WT, 3 shots for HMac, and a flu-mist for RT and we were OUT... Few tears from any of them. HMac said it hurt so bad, but all he could do was laugh uncontrollably...

Note of interest: Ohio State fans are some of the most dedicated fans in the entire world... I am not saying that is a good thing or a bad thing but being an "outsider", and by that I mean not being born in the great state of Oh-io, it is something that is super hard for me to comprehend... I think children here have no choice other than to be Ohio State fans... Their parents do not let them choose a favorite team when they are old enough to make that decision, rather they burn the Ohio State fight song into their brains by repeating it like a lullaby or a favorite book... It is the most odd thing I have ever seen... Case in point - a little boy in the waiting room at the doctor's office was screaming at the top of his lungs, "Ohio State rocks - Penn State sucks!".... I mean screaming, very very loudly... He could have only been like 5 at the oldest, he couldn't have come up with that on his own, someone older like a responsible adult had to teach him that... I have no problem with his statement other than the fact there were small children present and he was screaming the word "SUCKS!"... I am just burning mad by the time he left... His parents didn't even act like it was a big deal.. and well that just SUCKS!!!!

On a much more serious note my best friend's mother-in-law passed this morning... Our sympathy goes out to that family... It was a long battle and now she is at peace... So sadness here but great happiness on the other side... Leave it to me to facebook her a very cynical comment... My way of dealing - sympathetic humor... I am really good at that... Some people really don't like that, some find it hysterical... And as all of my close friends know... I know no other way to be besides hilarious...

OK enough ranting... Any irks on your mind?

We are officially idiots...

So dinner is a big deal around here... We usually all sit down and have dinner as a family... This leads to a lot of silly chatter, as you can imagine amongst 2 crazy parents, an 11 year old and a 2 year old, oh and the growling infant... Anyway, tonight a pack of markers was presented to our group while HMac was finishing up an art project and of course we couldn't help ourselves... Well daddy anyway...

Little RT ended up with a "Mom" tattoo on his right arm but wait it didn't stop there... He has a fantastic, very artistic tattoo sprawled across his back... With a little help from his birthmark.... Are you ready... Are you sure???? Well brace yourselves for the creativity of my very intelligent husband...



Yes it was freakin' hilarious.... I mean absolutely hilarious, but mostly because it was the LAST thing I would have ever thought to see written across the skin on my 2 year old's back...

Do you think family dinners of past times would have ended with this result... I doubt so... Seriously.. But we have fun and memories (and photos) to last a lifetime...

Bad Blogger... Good Mommie!

Sorry I have been neglecting my blog lately but with working and driving like 100 miles round trip everyday I just can't seem to find the time... Although my work is boring enough I did think the other day while I was twiddling my thumbs.. Why not write a blog entry? I could type it in my e-mail and then send it to my home e-mail.. Hmmmmmmmmm.. Good idea/Bad idea? I didn't want to get in trouble...Since I work for a smaller company I found it a better idea not to.. I am just afraid they (the IT department of 5 for a company of 100) probably have nothing better to do than sit around and read my incoming and outgoing mail... I am a tad bit paranoid but I would rather be safe than sorry... Or would I!?!?!?!? haha... So when I get home I do not blog, rather I sit with my children and hold them and wallow in guilt at being away from them all day...

Anyway, I really like my work.. But I miss my kids so bad.. Little RT fell twice last week at the baby sitters house.. Once out of a kitchen chair and once down the steps... So my clumsy little one falls like mommie does.... Oh did I mention I fell down while stepping off of the porch holding the baby?!?!? He at least was buckled into his car seat so while I writhed around on the ground nursing my twisted ankle he was just sitting there looking at me like I was an idiot and also giving me that... Why the hell did you just throw me on the ground look... BAD MOMMIE!!!

The sitter and her husband usually follow me out to the car so of course I had an audience for my theatrics.. I told my hubby when I got home what had happened and his first question was not.. "Are you ok?" But more like did they laugh at you because I would have cried I would be laughing so hard... Just like a husband.. just like a man... So that was pretty funny but I guess the sitter just shook her head and thought... Now I don't feel so bad that her son falls too... Like mother like son!!

Another fantastic thing that is going on..... We think that baby WT has thrush.. I am a part time breast feeder now that I am back at work and I am not having any of the symptoms of having the infection on my breasts, but he has a mouth full of it... So as bad as I hate to, I think we are going to go straight bottle fed from this weekend on... I am crushed... I hate to know that this is my last weekend with a baby nursing... I am gonna miss it so much.. Not enough to have any more children mind you, but I will miss it just the same..

Oh well HMac is doing great in school.. A little struggle in math is ongoing but I am not a math genius myself so I can't be too hard on him.. Oh and now that I think of it he has been falling down at school all week too... What a graceful bunch we are!!! I am sure one day we will all be out walking somewhere and the whole lot of us will just fall down.. All together... How funny would that be.. I can tell you one thing Hubby will be laughing and more than likely so will I ..

They grow so fast!

It just seems like yesterday I was hanging out with HMac watching him roll around on the floor... Now, he is in middle school and the beginning stages of, well you know regular guy stuff.. Poor kid..

But I am just amazed at the kids.. RT has been having full blown conversations with me since January of this year and now little WT is trying to crawl and pop a few teeth! It seems like just yesterday I was driving myself to the hospital - 2 kids in tow - on my own - hubby 6 hours away to have the third bebe... I mean how time flies.. I just wanted to say how much my kids are a HUGE part of my life and I wish that time would just stand still and they would all stay around the age of two.. That is the best (we have been lucky so far - watch out for little WT - he may be terrible - yet to know)... Anyway here is a video - ENJOY!!



Little WT crawling, or at least trying from AlliT on Vimeo.

Oh yeah did you see his hair... Isn't it the greatest thing going!??!? He is too funny!! Baby fro's rule!!

Work........ blah...

So, I have almost completed a whole weeks worth of work... The first one in seven months.. Whew.. I am soooo beat.. Sorry for the no posts, but if it wasn't for the hubby we would not have even eaten this week.. I was too tired to even cook once I was home.. I MEAN TIRED!!

Apparently the place I work molds fiberglass compounds... So I was hot itchy and had to wash immediately once I got home.. They say you get used to it.. I am not yet used to it and hope to not have to venture out into the plant very often. I signed up for an office job right? Glass dust + sweat + one whiney b!tch = bad day..

I do however like all of the people I have met so far.. Which is one positive.. Anyway, off of that subject.. Just know that I am back at work.. not with my kiddos and am feeling a little guilty for leaving them.. And if I can get back into the swing of things, ya know not sleeping for like 14 hours a day I will hopefully post more often about how guilty I feel.

The kids did well this week but now both have runny noses... I knew that would happen as sure as the sun comes up in the east every morning.. They are both sick and that also adds to the fuel of the guilt I am feeling.. WT has a doctors appt tomorrow morning and I can't go.. I guess I just do not feel right taking off a day when I have only worked a total of 4 days... So daddy is taking him.. I am missing the FIRST one of any of my kids doctors appts.. I am totally on my way to winning the worst mom of the year award.. Right up there with moms who have crack babies and the other moms who whore their kids out.. AAARRRGGHHH!!!! I am totally loosing it!

Also, RT tells me every day to go backwards.. To him that means go home.. Just turn around and GO HOME!!! Then he tries to remember the various things he "forgot".. Like milk, his blankie, taking out the garbage, etc... None of it works and then he pulls out, mommie I like you home.. Stab me through the heart.. How does a 2.5 year old know how to load a gun and shoot me through the heart... They are smart I tell ya.. Oh yeah and the icing on the cake........ He calls the baby sitter and her husband Mom and Dad.. I think more than anything it is because he hears her kiddos calling them that but try telling me that when I get there from a long and itchy days work.. Little WT is totally clueless, so that helps a little..

I am sure these feelings of guilt will all fade.. I hope anyway.. If not like I said before I and my lazy a$$ will quit and sit on aforementioned lazy a$$ in like a NY minute if I feel like it..

Darnit..........

So yesterday we had a "mock" run thru with the babysitter, since I will start working next week. I went to her house, hung out with her and the kids for an hour or so and then snuck out the door... She kept them for a couple of hours and things went fine.. She is super sweet, I really do like her a lot.. I just hope after next week she will still like my "NEEDY" children..

My husband and I went and took the big car to get new tires, oil change, etc.. And then went to have a childless lunch... Great right??? Well not so much... We had fun I guess as far as having a mid-working-day lunch can go.. He was in a hurry..

The funniest thing happens... The restaurant sat a SAHM across from us... She brought her two children in to have lunch.. Of course they were the same ages as WT and RT. With pretty much the same temperament.. Needless to say our "Babyless" lunch was not so babyless.. I am sympathetic with her.. I wanted to give her little girl who was screaming "French Fries" very loudly some of my fries until she got her own... But I just thought it may look rude... So I acted like she was being an angel.. Poor pitiful me... Can't even enjoy a quiet lunch with my hubby... The first one EVER without children.. IT SUCKS...

Anyway, to top it all of little RT has been saying to me all day... Mommie, so glad you are home... AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH.. Bring on the guilt trip..

This is great!

Below is an e-mail my husband wrote in reponse to a co-worker on how his day was going.. I had some business to take care of today, so this was the first time daddy was at home, alone, with the children - he was here alone with them for around 4 - 5 hours...I was terrified but now just impressed...

FROM THE DESK OF DADDY:

AlliT left at 08:00 and at that instant a fear washed over my entire being and I began to tremble. Then something miraculous happened. ....WT began to smile. As my nausea began to dissipate, I began to baby talk with him. We had a rather invigorating conversation. After that ended he decided to take a nap at 9:15.

This is my chance; I washed the dishes and straightened up the front room. I don't think I need to remind you that I did this in absolute silence, much like the Ninja's of Japan. After an hour and a half nap, the finicky monster arose from his slumber and demanded attention. After a quick diaper change, all was well, and at this point no crying for almost 180 minutes. Maybe there are higher powers at work.

After some bouncing and swinging Mr. WT decided it was time to test the waters. At 5 minutes to 12, the low rumble of discontent started. With a mighty crescendo, it climaxed at a ear piercing, blood curdling scream along with very impressive water works. Dad quick to handle any task, scooped the young T baby up, and began to tell lies and compromises' trying to stop this mental anguish.

To everything holy and mighty, only after 20 minutes of crying, the young Prince falls into a deep slumber and lays his precious little head on the couch and falls into a content sleep.

As a small tear falls from my cheek, I realize I have escaped another episode of "How long will your baby cry."

I love how daddies have no clue how much hard work being a SAHM is!! :-) I feel justified.

Beach.. Well not really....

... but who's counting? We found a "beach" that is only about a 30 minute drive from our house... It is super nice... Other than the bird poop on the ground it is relatively clean.... We wanted to take the kids to a real beach with the ocean and all of the other fun stuff, but seeing as we are seriously landlocked, and have a child whom as most of you know, HATES the car, I am NOT up for the drive and we cannot afford to fly 5 people to a state with beaches... If we could afford it the hubby and I would take that honeymoon trip we always wanted... Right? So anyway the "beach" in OH-IO will have to do for now..







We had a great time.. There were only a handful of people there to enjoy the day, which by the way was beautiful and on the (very) cool side, around 70 and sunny.. It has been a beautiful summer here.. And this is going to be my first winter in a northern state.. I am scared to death I might add.... But that is neither here nor there right now. So RT had no clue that we were not at a real beach and he didn't give a rat's behind.. He had the time of his life.. He swam and built sand (small crushed up rock) castles... And scram and ran and laughed.. He had more fun than I have ever seen him have before.. And believe me I AM FUN (as far as moms go)!!!
We went to Target yesterday and he insisited we buy a bucket and shovel for the "beach".. So looks like we are slated for a few more trips before summer is up.. Which is fine with me... It is free (major plus) and close (another major plus) so I guess you will be seeing us at the "beach" quite a bit.
Well RT has dug the funnies out of the Sunday paper so we are off to read those.. Happy beginning of the week to everyone.. Mine are like rotating bits of days... No real beginning or ending to anything... NICE>>>>>

Something smells......

I don't know about you but to me the smell of my babies is the sweetest smell I can ever think of.. I don't care if it is the raunchiest poopie diaper, spit-up or the fresh smell they have just after a bath, I just love to take all of it in..
Speaking from the perspective of a mom with a preteen as well as two babies I know what I am going to say is weird, but here goes anyway.. My oldest son HMac is now a preteen.... I don't remember how he smelled as a baby and it pains me to my soul... He is going to be in middle school this year and now he smells like B.O. and just manly smells... Ya know what I mean.... He is clean but he just smells of puberty... I love him so much and don't want him to grow up...
I think having two babies has made me realize just how much I want to remember what they smell like as little ones because I can reflect on their big brother and it makes me sad to know that I can't remember how he smelled or the sweet things he said to me when he was little...So I am OFFICIALLY sad..
I remember my mom just sitting and smelling him.. and I thought she was crazy... But now I am thinking maybe she wasn't so crazy after all.. She knew, and still does know even now that I am 29, that she more than likely wishes she could remember what I smelled like when I was a baby...
So to anyone who can come up with some invention that can capture the SMELL of your baby for future use would be a gazillionare.. At least I think I would pay to have something I can remember that sweetest smell in the whole world... The smell of your babies..

PS... Sorry HMac I hope I didn't embarass you too bad.. Know that I love you and hope that someday you will read this and realize how much I miss you being my baby.

Grandma T's weekend

Well we have just said goodbye to Grandma T and Great grandma White... They came from Decatur, IL to spend some time with us in the country this weekend. We had a good time.. While we didn't do much we still had a good time visiting. I guess this is the first time in a while that Great Grandma White has gotten to go anywhere on a trip, she just recently put Great Granpa in the nursing home. We had a lot of fun catching up and just spending time together.. I think RT had a blast.. Wouldn't you if all you had to do was sit around and stare at my ugly mug all day? Just kidding, he likes to have things to do other than play with me and WT.. Plus HMac is still gone so we love having company.

RT also had Grandma give him a haircut last night.. She is a hair dresser by profession so we get lots of beautifying when she is around.. He has not had a haircut in a good 4-5 months and looked like a hippie.. haha.. One would have thought she was cutting his ears off... He was raising all sorts of heck while getting his hair cut.. His dad was holding RT on his lap while grandma cut his hair. I guess I just thought that while getting your hair cut is a scary venture while you are still little, that maybe having someone you love and trust do it for you would make it a little less traumatic.. NOPE!! He was still scared out of his mind and grandma said when it was all over that she hoped he still loved her after that... That is how bad it was...

All in all we had a good weekend and were sad to see them go.

What is up with me?

I am pathetic.. I have become quite the hermit as of late... It is so sad.. I have 2 out of 3 children who actually like to run all over the country and 1 who hates it and it seems as if I let the 1 dictate the entire world for me.. So we were getting ready for WT's doctors appt this morning and all RT could say was, "Grocery store?" Yes you heard me right grocery store... See for us the big getting out of the house time during the week is going to the grocery store so RT thinks that EVERY time we are getting dressed in clothes besides pj's we are going to the grocery store... And you would think it was Christmas eve by how excited he gets.. It is insane, has my life come to this... I would have never guessed that the best thing that could happen to me and my children would be our once weekly grocery store trip...

Maybe it is because I let RT eat the grapes while he is sitting in the buggy and he feels like he is doing something wrong... Which I guess it is wrong b.c we actually never ever pay for them... I guess we should start weighing him when we walk in and then have them weigh him like produce so they get their money for all of the grapes we essentially "stole." But I go with what my mom has always said... "We spend so much money here they can't get mad if we eat a few grapes!!!" haah... but I guess when you eat an entire bag each time you go, for us once a week, it turns into to some major stealing at the end of the year... Oh well, what are we gonna do... I have started something and I don't really feel guilty for it.. Is that bad? I guess I have to say thanks mom for that one...

So we went to the doctor and not to the grocery store so here is how WT is doing...

WT's 4 month check up and shots at the doctor... He is now 15 1/4 lbs (60% for weight), around 23 inches (10% for length) and he has a big ole head... He is doing fine... He had 3 shots and one oral vaccination... Poor thing, but he took it like a trooper... RT was a sweet little boy and a big help at the doctor like usual...

As we were leaving one of the doctors stopped to say how sweet the kids were, their hair is their shining glory and show stopper, she asked RT a question and we answered with a "Yes ma'am!" People up north act as if you just shoved a $100 bill in their hand if you show some respect...Her response was a wide eyed, "Where are you from?" to which I answered TN originally, and she said, " I knew it had to be from the south.." So I am gonna say the south still rocks when it comes to being cordial...

Ice cream anyone?

The old man decided last night he had just about enough of me saying how badly I wanted an ice cream sundae that he just loaded us all up in the car and set off on a mission..

You see, since returning from my parents house 2 weeks ago I have wanted an ice cream sundae.. Caramel of course from McD's... I could not stop on the way home because the baby was crying and loosing his mind... We have a 4 month old that HATES the car.. And that is totally an understatement... I mean I think if he had his way he would do away with ALL cars and be a hermit... It is horrible... We cannot go anywhere at all without him SCREAMING in his carseat.. So you can just imagine what a 500 mile trip did to him... I have scarred him for life...

So anyway back to the ice cream.. I didn't stop 2 weeks ago because he had been crying for at least half and hour and even if I had stopped they could not have heard me on the speaker and then if they could have they would have more than likely call DCS on me for child abuse.. I JUST WANTED TO GET HOME AND GET HIM OUT OF THE CAR!!

Daddy took us last night to the closest McD's which is at least a good 30 minute drive.... And they did not have caramel.. I mean what the heck... All McD's have caramel right??? NOPE!!!!! Only fudge... I was soooo disappointed.. Little RT got an ice cream cone that was half as huge as his head... Which is large and in charge.. So after dad and I both had brain freeze trying to hurry up and make it a manageable size for him I ended up reluctantly "dumping" a large amount of ice cream on the ground so he could more easily get to the cone, which is his fav.. And he LOVED it... Me, well I got an ice cream fix but not the kind I wanted.. So I am in search of the McD's with caramel...

And by the way... The baby didn't cry in the car which was more satisfying than the ice cream...

:-)

The day after...

So for anyone with small children you all know the beauty of watching fireworks from afar... First of all you do not have to get in the car with screaming children and fight the crowds to get to the place where the fireworks will be detonated, and once there crane your neck until it breaks to see the actual fireworks... Also, having to cover the little mouths as they scream in TERROR at the actual boom of the firework... So, we like to watch them from various vantage points at out house..

We live in the absolute middle of nowhere, USA... in the middle of a huge corn field south of Columbus, OH... Anyway, with that said we can see pretty much ALL of the fireworks from the small surrounding towns from the front porch, the stairwell window and other bedroom windows... My two year old LOVES fireworks (from afar)...

We bought him a few boxes of sparklers and pop-its and you would have thought we handed him a few boxes of rattle snakes... He was terrified... Well good ole dad decides to light up a sparkler and MAKE him hold it until the crying subsides... At first I thought what a crappy way to introduce a toddler to his first set of fireworks... Then what do you know...... IT WORKED.... He now loves sparklers (with 2 parent supervision I might add)... By the end of the night he was outside on the front porch in a diaper (we haven't mastered the potty just yet) in 65 degree weather screaming with chattering teeth "Happy 4th of July"!!!