Everybody say "cheese"

Last year I took some July 4/patriotic pictures of my two sweeties.  I tried to do the same again this year.  Here were the results... in order.

Lulu?  Ready.
Bri?  Ready.
Bro?  Not so ready.

Love the expression on Lulu's face here.  Clearly she is telling Brody NOT to try any crazy antics and to smile for the camera.  We'll see how successful that look was.

Can you guess which two children are perfectly posed for every shot... and who is NOT?

Ok - let's give Bro something to do.  "Bro - Put your arm around your sister."

"No, your OTHER sister."

Great!  No.  Not so great - now we lost Bri.

New pose.

Poor Bri.

"Look mom - no hands!

... and... the photo shoot is over.

Yep - we got one great decent good picture. 

Happy (early) July 4 to you!

Recently Heard in My House

Recently Heard in My House
Starring Lulu

Lulu:  Mom, I'm going in my room to get dressed now.

Mommy:  Ok, and make your bed?

Lulu:  Rolls eyes.  Of course.

Mommy:  What do you mean by 'of course'?  Why did you roll your eyes like that? 

Lulu:  As she walks down the hall away from me.  Because I'm a pre-teen and THAT's what pre-teens do.  Don't take it serious.  It's just what we do.

Mommy:  Ok.  Fine.  Well, I'm a mom and moms tell pre-teens to make their beds.

Lulu:  Fine.  Then that's what we do.  It's just what we do.

Mommy:  Sighs.



Recently Heard in My House
Starring Brody

We moved to a community with beach water river access.  All winter long Brody has been asking to go to the beach.  All winter long we have been telling him, "Not yet.  It's too cold outside.  We have to wait for summer."

This Spring you could randomly hear Brody explaining, "We can't go to beach.  Too cold to go to beach.  It's too cold."  And we would confirm that it was, indeed, too cold to go to the beach.

This weekend Brody said, "I want to go to beach tomorrow."  {{Although I am fairly sure that he has NO idea what 'tomorrow' means.}}  I replied, "Ok buddy - but you'll have to talk to Daddy first."  Then he said, "Aw cu on (come on) - it's a summer day!"


Recently Heard in My House
Starring Dear Husband

Remember my saga of the overdue library books which will cost me thousands of dollars over the course of the next 30 years?  Well, I paid the library fee.  {{Gosh.  Mommy in a library is like an alcoholic at a bar... I just cannot help myself folks.}} 

I paid the library fee because Dear Husband bought me a nook for my birthday in April and I sit and read books on my nook while I am breastfeeding... and... well... breastfeeding takes GOBS of time... so... I have purchased and read GOBS of e-books over the course of the past 8 weeks {{but who's counting}}.  In theory, I could borrow e-books from the library and read them on my nook.  But, I had to pay off the library fee before I can borrow the e-books.  Got it?

So I paid my library fee... and was back in the library within 48 hours borrowing books for the kids.

Here was Dear Husband's response: 

Mommy:  Hey Babe... I took the kids to the library today.  Brody got a boat book and Lulu ended up with the Rise and Fall of Ancient Greece... {{crazy, I know}}.

Dear Husband:  What?  You did what?  When are those books due?  You'd better write that date on the calendar.

Ah... here's hoping that you are enjoying your summer days. 

And I welcome ALL tween/teen advice.  Thanks!

Just a Few Tidbits

So... I don't really have any time to give you a decent post and some wittiness... but here are some pictures of our weekend...

Brody played on the trampoline...

... on a hot, hot, hot day...

... while Lulu read her new library book {{yes, I paid my library fine, previously mentioned in this post, and took the kids to the library... more about that later}}.  Look closely, she is reading The Rise and Fall of Ancient Greece, which she picked out herself {{nerd}}.

We are still playing with Legos.

I call this picture, "Hi Brielle." {{aka... "can you guys please watch Brielle while I get dressed?"}}

Ok, we added linked connected our Wii Animal Crossing game to the internet.  Now, Lulu and her dad can play together, even when they are in different parts of the State.  Here, her dad has come to visit her town and they are having coffee together in the cafe.  I asked them to face the TV so that I could get a picture.  Crazy, huh?

Oh, and Lulu got her first job... as in j-o-b... as in she is getting $$paid$$ to work help out the neighbors.  Hopefully I'll have pictures for you soon. 

Do you play video games with others via the internet? 

That's just c-r-a-z-y; I still can't get over it.

Wordless Wednesday

I hope that this makes you chuckle.

Check out http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com/ for more funny cartoons.

"normal" is a relative term

Brielle...

she throws up...

everywhere...

all of the time...

no...

that is not true...

not "everywhere"...

but...

rather...

ALL OVER ME!

I am sooooooooooooo over this.

There was a time, over the course of the past few weeks, when I actually thought that I might have post-partum depression.  I googled "post-partum depression" and the results looked rather familiar.  It was on a weekend so I couldn't call my doctor.  I was over my "depression" by Monday.  I think I was just overwhelmed... go figure.

Life is better now.  Just today I was thinking... 6 weeks - I just need to get me babies to 6 weeks and everything is fine  (we are just past 7 weeks now).  But, there is one... lingering... issue... that is getting worse and worse - Brielle throws up frequently and she just drenches me and herself every time.  Imagine having 1-2 cups of warm baby curdled milk thrown in your lap at a moments notice every-single-day... and multiple times a day... it is tiring... and I am so over it.

Yes, we give her Zantac.  No, this does not seem to cause Brielle discomfort.  But, it is getting worse and now she doesn't even throw up just when I burp her... she'll also throw up while she is curled up in my lap nursing.  Imagine that... there I sit, happily nursing my daughter and I get a cup of vomit all over my boob, my baby, and my lap.  Blech!  She is throwing up so much milk and so frequently that I can't imagine that much of it is getting into her system.     

Someone please tell me that this has happened to you and that it will go away.  It will go away, won't it?

How To: Remove permanent marker from a vintage lunch box

Brody started a new day care... the day after we came home from the hospital with his new baby sister... impeccable timing, I know.

Brody's previous daycare provided lunch for all of the kids.  Now,  we were in charge of packing lunch for Brody and were in need of a lunch box.  Fairy Grandmother let us BORROW a Curious George lunch box. 

 Dear Husband did not know that this was a BORROW situation and wrote Brody's name, in permanent ink, all over the lunch box... literally. 

Have no fear... Dear Husband erased the permanent ink with... a magic eraser.  Just wet the eraser and rub.

It was quite simple and required hardly any effort at all.  You could never even tell that there was even the smallest blemish on the lunch box. 

I know that some of you poo-pooed the magic eraser when I wrote about it before.  You know, you really should give it another try.  I love it... absolutely love it.

What Does Your Refrigerator Say About You?

Yummy Mommy asked her readers to share pictures of our refrigerators with the world, if we dare, to see what our refrigerators really says about us?

It turns out that you can tell a lot about me by looking at my refrigerator.  Let's start from the bottom and work our way up... shall we?

Bottom door is filled with letters.  Clearly I have a toddler.

Top door has a list of the classes offered at the gym. Remember my trial membership that my mom got for me?  And, it also has a note to Dear Husband that I left for him one morning telling him that I left at 7:33 and would be back by 8:30 a.m.

Oh, see that little piggy on the motorcycle?  Just ignore that... please.

Ahem... there is lots of junk stuff on top of the refrigerator.  Clearly, I moved into a house with a smaller kitchen and still have not found a respectable place for bread, the blender, thin mints kitchen spices, and more.

What's on your refrigerator?

Yummy Mom would like to share pics of refrigerators from around the U.S. 

Please share your refrigerator with her, if you dare.

Legos and Bri

Brody discovered Legos.  Oh man - oh man - oh man.  He played with them ALL weekend long.

He asked me to make him a boat like the one shown in the picture on the box.  I did.  Then, Brody insisted that he add water.  You can see the boat on the "water" in the lower right hand corner of this picture.

After we put together the boat and water, Brody started adding brown legos to the water.  I couldn't help but wonder if we have been watching too much of the news and this "water" is supposed to be the oil-infested water of Louisiana.  Probably not, but it still made me chuckle.

Brielle slept quietly while we played.

 
On another note...

Is your toddler bossy?

Does he look like this when giving out demands?

Mine does.

I think that he was demanding juice, as opposed to the milk that was in his cup.

All I can think of when I see this picture is, "I'm gonna get you, my pretty, and your little dog too," a line made famous by the ever-popular Wicked Witch of the West. I mean... look at his left hand... is that REALLY necessary?

Gym

Day 1 and Day 2 at the gym were great.  For now, I take in my book nook and read while on the treadmill or the elliptic machine.  Fairy Grandmother gave me a ride to the gym on the first two days.  I drove myself this morning (Day 3)... um... and I wasn't quite sure that I would make it.  I mean, I have to be REALLY motivated to get up in the morning and... ahem... go the the g-y-m... of all places.  But, I just had my mom's voice in my head if I didn't go... "WHAT?  You didn't go?  Why?  What happened?  Do you WANT to go?  I'll drive you next time."  So, I pulled on my big girl pants {{big = mature, NOT large}} and drove myself to the gym.

Wanna know the demographics of the gym at 7:45 a.m.?  Here it is:

Old men: 10
Middle aged women: 2
Moms: 1 (that was me)
Staff: 3

Another point of observation:  old men are diligent about cleaning off their machines after they use them.

Let's back up for a moment... This past weekend I went to get some new nursing bras.  Seems the ones that I was wearing {{from my previous pregnancies - and Lulu is 12 ya'll}} have lost their... um... strength... or so I thought.  I was wearing 36 D.  The lady measured me at 38 E... {{yes, "E" folks - NOT a typo}}.

Back to the gym... anyone here wanna know what it's like to run on a treadmill with size 38E breasts that are ALSO full of milk?  um... interesting... definitely interesting.  Thus, I do more walking fast walking very fast walking than running.

I'm getting better though.  My first day at the gym I was on the elliptical machine and was selecting the "down arrow" on the "levels" menu... only to find out that I was already on level ONE.  oh... gotcha.  Today, I bumped it up to a level TWO.  Ah-ha!  Tomorrow... I might work in some sit-ups too... but I can't promise you anything.

Update on "moi," Brielle, and the rest of the Napmom family

I know, I like went and had a baby... and then started blogging about birthday cakes... I mean... "hello"... doesn't everyone want to hear about the b-a-b-y!

As far as resting goes, this has been the worst maternity leave ever.  During the weeks that Lulu is with us, life is just crazier than crazy.  The other weeks, Bro has consistently started out the week sick.  Just this past week he had pneumonia.  So, I DEFINITELY don't get any rest on those weeks.  :-)

Brielle... wow... um... she's... um... like her sister... that is... high maintenance.  To be honest, she has a fairly bad acid reflux problem which means that she is uncomfortable or in pain whenever she is on her back.  She screams in her swing, screams in her bouncy chair, screams when you change her diaper, and screams in her car seat.  Yep - sounds like fun, huh?  She also vomits in all of those positions as well.  I have resorted to dressing her in onesies during the day because she just throws up all over her cute outfits and ends up in a onesie anyways.  To be honest, we recently put her on zantac (acid reflux medicine) and things are much better.  Oh, this also means that she sleeps on her stomach as well.  I know that they are supposed to sleep on their backs, but desperate times call for desterate measures.  ... mkay?

Brody... is TOTALLY adjusted to his new school.  He asks to go to school (which is unheard of) and does not fuss when I drop him off.  Whew!  What a relief!  He loves his new sister - can you believe that - and loves to touch her and kiss her and hold her.  He says, "she's soft."  I haven't even seen one smidgen of animosity towards her... I'm amazed. 

Lulu... had her birthday {{need to upload more pics}} and graduated to a Cadette Girl Scout.  Right now she is camping in Hershey park with her scout troop as an end-of-Junior-scouts celebration.  This summer she watns to take tumbling lessons and finally learn that round off back handspring.  {{Lovely.}}  Plus, I signed her up for a fashion runway class as well.  They actually have a runway event at the end of the class... totally her style.  We also scheduled for some educational testing for her this summer to see why she is struggling in math and what we can do to help her.

Dear Husband is doing well.... of course... because he GETS TO SLEEP AT NIGHT!  {{hahahahaha - did I just say that?}}  Actually, he is still awesome.  Real Estate is getting busier which means that he is not able to help around the house as much as I have become accustomed, but he is also making more money... which is helpful after all of these years of waiting for the market to turn around.  He is still planning to attend the boys' motorcycle trip this summer.  I still feel like this trip is totally selfish of him for many reasons {{we won't get a vacation together and the family won't get one either and I need want need and want him at home}} but he is not a selfish person {{AT ALL}} and so I am trying to smile when we discuss the trip.  He plays on two kickball teams (not ONE but TWO kickball teams) and when Brielle was first born one of his female teammates commented, "Let me get this straight, you have a brand new baby at home, you play on two kickball teams (which means you are out of the house two nights a week), and she lets you go out after the games, and you have a motorcycle, AND you are not taking your wife or your family on a vacation this year, but YOU are going on a vacation... and your wife is okay with all of this?  I'd love to meet your wife - she must be a really cool person."  {{Why THANK YOU.}}

Napmom... I'm doing well... physically I have been fine since Bri was born, albeit a little tired.  Well, there is that little problem of my hernia.  I saw the surgeon and he recommended that I wait to fix it.  He says that right after a delivery my body is not in t he position to take on more surgery if it isn't necessary.  And, in truth, while my hernia was extremely sore when Brielle was born, I barely notice it now.  I just started Day 1 of my 30 day trial membership at my mom's gym {{thanks mom}} so hopefully I can lose a little bit of baby weight  before I go back to work.    

Life with Brielle... you never know what to expect from this little one.  Some days she is up all day and some days she sleeps all day - literally.  Luckily, she sleeps fairly well at night too.  She wakes up to nurse every 2-4 hours (depending) but then goes right back to sleep.  Ahhhhhhh.  She poops ALL OF THE TIME.  Not kidding... she always has some quantity of poop in her diaper, but she doesn't have a diaper rash - thank goodness.  On more than one occasion she has pooped all over me, herself, and the bathroom when getting ready to get into the bathtub.  Consequently, she doesn't get very many baths.  :-)  She weighs 11 pounds 8 oz and is 22 inches long.  In short, she is the size of a 3-month old.

I think that's it for now.  I have more pics to show you but with over 2,000 pics on my camera card, it takes a little while to upload those suckers... and time is a precious comodity in this household.

Gotta go - duty calls...

Talk to you soon,

Napmom

How To... make a zebra-striped hair bow cake

Step 1 {{the most crucial step of all}}:  Locate one loving Fairy Grandmother to babysit a newborn. 

Next, bake a cake in a Wilton butterfly-shaped cake pan.

Trace the shape onto a piece of paper.

Draw your design onto the paper.

Ice the cake with white icing.

Place your template on the cake...

... and outline with black icing.

Fill in the shape with zebra stripes. 

Voila!

Coming Soon

How to remove permanent marker from a vintage lunchbox,

how to make a "funnel" when you don't have a funnel, and

{{ my personal favorite}} easy, no-sew solution to attaching badges and patches to scout vests.

Stay tuned! 

Birthday Week

Do you celebrate your birthday for a whole week?  We do.

Lulu's birthday is this Friday.

Yesterday we used her Rita's birthday coupon for a free Rita's icee.  Cotton Candy flavor is her favorite... and mine too.

Today I sent her to school with a note from a fairy in her lunch box that I found on Yummy Mom's blog.  I can't wait to hear what her reaction was.

And, she went to school wearing these zebra flip flops {{Thanks Fairy Grandmother.}}.  Look closely... there is a black bow and peace sign charm on the strap.

I might put some of the shaped rubber bands in her lunch box on Thursday.

She has asked to wear this firecracker headband to school on Friday.

How many more head pieces do you think she can fit on her head?