Busy Week in Review

My lack of blogging is due to a BUSY week. The 2 oldest had Vacation Bible School all week long which called for extra running around, getting up early, and grouchy kids due to a change in the schedule. Even with all the changes they had a great time and learned lots of new fun songs with dances. During one of the songs they would zoom the camera around the audience and then focus in on one or two kiddos who were dancing. On Tuesday they zoomed in on Alexis and she got to join the singers up on stage and dance with them. She was so excited and said she couldn't wait to go up on stage on Wed. too. I explained to her that the odds of her being picked again out of over 300 kids was pretty small but that she should still dance her little heart out. Would you believe she got zoomed in on AGAIN on Wed! She was the happiest little girl in the place. The church did an awesome job and really put A LOT of work into making it a huge success.Aiden and I got some more one on one time while the kids were gone during the day. His newest favorite thing to do? Pull all my mixing bowls out and throw them around the kitchen.

Or wear them as masks, playing peek-a-boo.

And of course mommy had to introduce him to mini oreos, which from the look on his face and the mess on his hands and face he was throughly enjoying it.

He has been doing an awesome job sleeping in his big boy bed. He has cut back to one 2 hour nap before lunchtime and then has been going to bed exhausted by 8:00. I am very thankful for this pretty smooth transition.

SUPER BABY! to the rescue.

I also had the opportunity to deep clean the kids rooms while they were gone during the day. Usuallly I like to do this with them so they take ownership to the cleaning process of their things but I found that I was able to get it done A LOT faster by myself. Imagine my shock when I found this........

Just in case you can't tell what that is.... it is a HUGE clump of freshly CUT hair!! Alexis' hair to be exact. Once confronted about the clump of hair it was painfully obvious where she had cut it. Right smack dab in the front for all to see. Why I hadn't seen it that morning is beyond me. Sometimes I guess I just brush quickly to get us out the door and don't really pay attention to the details, like the fact that she had cut a huge chunck out of her bangs. She was mortified that I wanted to take a picture and kept saying over and over, "are you going to blog about this mommy? please mommy!" She has tried everything she can to disguise the fact that she is missing a section of hair. Everything from the comb over look to putting huge bows over it to cover it up. In reality growing time is all that is going to work to fix this gapping hole.My battle with the ants came to a head the other morning when I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and had an ant crawling on me in bed with a few following behind him ready to attack. I couldn't take it anymore so Dale and I decided that we needed to bomb the house. Not my idea of fun since that called for a deep cleaning not only before the bombing but also wiping every surface down after the bombing. I am not a super cleaner, but rather despise having to do it. So after the kids got home from VBS on Friday we set out cleaning every nook and cranny of the house. By the time Dale got home from work at 3:00 we were finishing up a few last minute things and were able to evacuate the house at 4:00 to allow the foggers to do their thing. This created a 2 hour window that we were required to stay out of the house and then another hour of airing out the house before going back inside. We went to dinner and then to Kmart to pick up this little contraption I had seen on TV which I am hoping will help with my entry way carpet area.

After these few errands we went back to the house for Dale to open all the windows, and start up the A/C and the fans to air the place out. To kill time we decided to take the kiddos to the park. This was the first time Aiden tried out the slide for himself, though he preferred to go up it backwards then to follow the rules. The concentration on his face shows that this is serious business to him.

Dale, Aiden and Suzy enjoyed running down the hill

...though walking back up always proved to be a little challenging when you have short legs.

"Do these stripes make my butt look big?"

And then I noticed a common theme in the pictures I was taking.... his tongue sticking out when he is doing something. I know that the tooth that is growing in his lip flesh is really bothering him, but he seems to really be working his tongue all the time.

Tongue out while he is walking....

Tongue out while he grabs a quick drink.....
And tongue out while he runs around some more....
We returned to a debugged house, did a complete wipe down and vacuuming of all surfaces and then had a peaceful night sleep with no ants crawling around. Let's hope that solves the problem long term.

This morning the kids got to sleep in a little (though I wish they would have slept a little longer). And then it was time for a little lounging around in pajamas and watching some cartoons. Nothing sweeter then laying on the ground holding hands while watching Mickey Mouse Club House.
Hope everyone has a blessed weekend. Oh, and don't forget to leave me a comment if you are reading because Dale comes home from work every day and has to check out how many new comments have been left on my blog. Mentioning him in the comment makes his day. :) Nothing like trying to stroke my husbands ego a little.

HAPPY 6TH ANNIVERSARY BABE!

Six years ago today I made the best decision of my life.... I married my best friend!!!

I never seem to have the right words to tell you how much I love you. Love you for being such an awesome husband. Love you for being such a wonderful father to our three children. But most of all for just being you!! I can not wait to continue spending the rest of my life with you. I love you very much!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We celebrated our anniversary on Saturday since it was easier for Dale to get off early and for my mom to watch the kiddos on that day. Dale had planned for us to go to Palm Springs and ride the Aerial Tram up the mountain. This is something we have wanted to do for a long time but just never took the time to do it. The drive out there was nice and peaceful and we actually got to have some adult conversation.
After initially getting over my fear of heights and just holding on tight as the tram rotated, we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery as we ascended to 10,00 ft.
The view as SPECTACULAR. We had dinner out on the patio, looking over the Palm Springs valley and once again got to have uninterrupted adult conversation.Happy 6th anniversary hunny! Thanks for such an awesome night. I pray that we are able to enjoy many more anniversaries as special as this one.

And now I need to get his Thanksgiving birthday anniversary French Silk Pie in the refrigerator so it can chill before he gets home from work. YUM YUM!! At least this one didn't turn out like the strawberry pie of last week.

Mom vs. Ants and Loosing Ground! HELP!

*On my sister's blog, she is working her way through the alphabet one letter at a time with her kiddos this summer. I, on the other hand, seem to be working my way backwards with my all things 'C' post, then my Big Boy Bed 'B' post, and now the 'A' for Ant post.
Well, the ants won last night!! We had come home from a long day out in the HOT HOT desert (114 degrees!!), visiting Dale at his work, getting his car turned in to the collison center that will be repairing it, and then heading over to Grandma and Grandpa's to spend some time with them, only to find that various parts of our house had been invaded by HUNDREDS of ants while we were gone. We have had a few ants here and there and occasionally a small party of them but NOTHING like last night. (*Wish I had pictures of our adventures yesterday but I left home with the camera card still stuck in the computer from uploading the big boy bed pictures that morning. BUMMER!!)

They, the darn ants, find their way into the house from the oddest places. Recently the bathroom has been their favorite place, coming in from the faucet. And, I get some a lot of pleasure in drowning them as I turn on the faucet for a shower. Well, yesterday they decided that the boys' room electrical outlets would be the place to make their attack.

As we went to put Aiden in his Big Boy Bed for the second night in a row we quickly noticed that the ants had all but taken over the room. Dale and I quickly went on the defense with the only thing we had handy, a can of ant spray. By the time we finished killing the little boogers and then clorox wiping the whole room down and vacuuming up the carpet, the room still smelled of ant spray fumes. We both felt that it was not very safe for Aiden and Andrew to fall asleep amongst the fumes and potential ants that hide in the walls. So, out to the couch for Andrew and back into his crib for Aiden. :( Talk about a major step back! I was not happy but was given really no other choice.

So, if any of my blogging buddies out there have a great remedy for ants that won't be so toxic for the kids then I am all ears. I will be making a call to our landlady on Monday to see if she can get someone out here to spray around the outside of the condo during the week. But in the mean time, I would like to reclaim the boys' room and prevent them from taking over the world whole house and get my little guy back into his Big Boy Bed that he loves SOOO much.

BB&B for Aiden's new BBB

UPDATED: See video link below the third picture!

Yesterday was a BIG day. We made our way to Bed Bath & Beyond with our $10 off coupon and a mission to find Aiden some new Big Boy Bedding. I was pleased to find a sports themed comforter and sheets set on the clearance rack. It was perfect for Aiden while still being grown up enough for Andrew.Daddy and I got the bed all made up while the kids kept Aiden entertained in the living room. I was excited about Aiden moving into Andrew's room because I would like our room back and his crib moved out of there, but was also sad at the same time because this is just another step away from him being a baby.

Once the bed was all made we brought Aiden in to show him his Big Boy Bed. He LOVED it and couldn't stop jumping around and throwing himself on the bed!

Aiden's Big Boy Bed Click on the link to see his reaction when we first showed him his new bed!!! SO CUTE!!

We were off to a great start but the real test would be at bed time. He usually stays up till we go to bed around 9:00 but we decided that we should start him on the kiddos' schedule and go to bed the same time as them around 8:30. He laid down right away and things looked promising.

Andrew was excited to have a new roommate. He has been looking forward to this day since the moment Aiden was born. We decided now was the time so we could make the transition during the summer just in case there were any glitches then it wouldn't keep Andrew up at night when he needed to be getting his rest for school.

It was a little rough at first but nothing big. He got up a few times but only because he wanted to jump on the bed. I ended up standing at the door, laying him down when he got up without saying a word to him and then going back to the doorway to wait. It took all of 25 minutes till he was sound asleep. It would have taken less time if Alexis had not kept talking to me while I was standing between their bedrooms.

He slept through the night, no tears, no getting out of bed repeatedly. I woke up a little earlier this morning then usual because I was worried about him waking up in a strange place. I checked on him multiple times, only to find that he was still sound asleep. He ended up sleeping till 7:56!!! and woke up with the biggest smile on his face. When I asked him if liked his Big Boy Bed, he replied with "uhhhhh yep!!!! big boy bed!!" in the cutest squeeky Aiden voice with the biggest smile.

These were taken the other day while the other two kiddos were gone. Could someone please feed this child? He decided to help himself since I wasn't getting breakfast fast enough for him. He found a box of cereal, took it to the living room and decided to pour himself some in a bowl all over the living room floor. (and you can't see it, but yes he does have a diaper on.)He was right there beside me helping me pick them up shoveling them in his mouth as fast as he could.Here is hoping for another smooth transition to the Big Boy Bed again tonight and to having no crib in our room!!!

WordlessFULL Wednesday

It is never fun to be at work and be called to the front of the store to be told that your car has been hit in the parking lot. That is exactly what happened to Dale today, on a day that was already going down hill fast enough on it's own. Two cars had gotten into an accident, and from what I can understand, one hit the other causing it to fishtail into Dale's parked car. Fun times! Now we get the pleasure of dealing with insurance companies, rent-a-cars and repair shops. And in the mean time, while insurance tries to work things out, we get to spend my sub money we were going to use on a small family get-away on a insurance deductible in hopes of getting it paid back. UGH!!

I know what we will be doing tomorrow on Dale's day off besides picking up Andrew from his camp experience and me going to the dentist (NOT looking forward to that); we will be making lots of insurance phone calls and getting Dale some reliable transportation set up for the next who knows how many days at a rate of $20/day. Double UGH!!

Chairs, Cousins, Car Rides, Camp, & Contest Winner

Guess one could call this the 'C' post.


First up is a pic of Aiden trying to sit on a dollhouse chair. He played with that chair for well over 30 mins; setting it down on the ground, turning around, trying to sit, turning back around the assess the situation and then trying over again. It was the funniest thing.Cousins: This past weekend my sister's kiddos, Shayna and Shelby, came up with Nana to our house to spend some time with the cousins and their favorite Auntie Uncle Joy.

Nana, Alexis, Shelby and Shayna had to pose for a picture before we set out to celebrate our 4th of July. I just love Shelby's scrunched up happy face in this picture. She is just the cutest little thing and calls me 'uncle joy' in the most adorable voice.

The boys wanted to get in on the picture taking action too. All the kiddos dressed up in their red, white and blue.

Rare picture of Nana with the kiddos. I was looking through all my old picture files on Nana's birthday and it became clear to me that I have not taken a picture of Nana with my kiddos in ages. She is up here almost every weekend but our time with her is usually pretty short and the camera just never makes it out.

After the picture parade we headed over to our friend's house to have some food and watch the fireworks from their backyard. Aiden was really too young to enjoy them or really know what was going on last year, so it was great to see the excitement in his eyes as he watched the pretty colors in the sky. We are far enough away from the show that the sounds really didn't bother him.

What was bothering him was his diaper. During the show he had a blow out but neither Dale or I wanted to take him away from the fireworks early so he ended up leaking. Of course I was not prepared for an outfit change so he got a diaper change and made his way home in his diaper and shoes. He was of course asleep before we made it off their street.

Uncle Dale didn't get to spend much time with the girls since he was at work the three days they were up here. So, when he came home early on Sunday, I tortured him with a picture. Shelby just loves her Uncle Dale (which I have been trying to get her to call him Aunt Dale since she calles me Uncle Joy. No such luck YET).

The plan was for Nana to take Alexis back down with her to San Diego when she left with Shayna and Shelby on Sunday. Alexis was eager to go spend time with her cousins; Desiree, Caleb, and Tatiana. Here she is sporting her sense of fashion by wrapping her blanket around her neck like a scarf even though it was 100 degrees outside.

Car Ride: All three girls were strapped in and ready to go on a fun ride to San Diego. I guess it didn't turn out that way. Instead there was lots of picking on each other by the sisters, crying by Alexis, and shot nerves on Nana's part. That must have been the longest 100 miles of my mom's life.

Camp: Today we got Andrew all packed up and ready to leave for 4 days at church camp. He has been excited to go and time couldn't go by fast enough this morning as he awaited his 11:15 departure.

I was a little worried that he would have a hard time leaving since this will be the first time he will be away and not at a family member's house. He hooked up with his buddies right away and seemed pretty confident that all was going to be ok. He did get a little teary eyed when I was telling him goodbye, but I am sure he will have a great time.

They got all loaded up in the boy van and were on their way. But wait, is that a little stow away in the van? No Aiden, you can not go with your brother and his buddies to camp. Andrew won't be back till Thursday so it should be interesting to see how Aiden does without his big buddy for 4 days.

Contest winner: Sorry if I bored you with all the other 'Cs' first, but now for the big announcement. I numbered little orange pieces of paper for each comment entry and placed them in a hat. (*Remember I don't have one of those super high-tech husbands like Heather who runs a computer randomizer thingie. I am sre he could figure it out if I ever gave him a chance to get on the computer long enough).

So, right after Dale got off work and was changing Aiden's diaper so we could go out for the night I had him pick a number out of the hat. (*And yes, immediate family members were not eligible to win the contest. They just wanted to have fun getting in on the commenting action.)

And the number that was drawn.......

#29, which would be Nicole!! CONGRATULATIONS Nicole on winning the $15 giftcard to Starbucks. Dale would like a tall Caramel Macchiatto upside down with extra caramel, and I would like a tall Strawberry Lemonade blended with Raspberry. :) j/k

Maybe I could save a stamp and just drop it off later this week? Let me know what day works best for a stop by or if you would like me to drop it in the mail.

Thank you to everyone for playing along. Based on the strawberry pie suggestions I think I am just going to stick with Marie Callender's strawberry pies from now on. Plus I need to focus on making my hubby his French Silk pie for our anniversary on Sunday since he so kindly pointed out to everyone that I forgot to make one for his birthday in May. Sorry hun!!

Now I better wrap this up so I can go cuddle on the couch with my hubby since there aren't two extra kiddos climbing all over him.

Ciao!