i forgot what it's like to have only one child at home

Saturday was the day that i was supposed to go to the MU game with scott, ryan, and uncle matt. After work 12 hour shifts on thursday and friday, all i wanted to do was run some errands and just be at home. Friday night, i broke the news to scott. yep, once upon a time, when we did not have kids, i would have jumped at the chance to go. But saturday was not my day to go. Grandma cathy was in town and i saw what oppourtunity i had! i send the boys on to columbia and have grandma cathy watch owen while i ran errands all by myself. It felt so good driving out to legends with only me in the car! No kids in the back, no strollers to take out of the car, and i could spend more than 5 minutes in a store. Yes, sad thing is that i did not do any shopping for myself, it was all for ryan and owen. After legends, i made it to kohl's, oak park mall (so i could return a shirt for me), then on to michael's to look for frames so we can hang owen's 1 year pictures. gosh, i got so much stuff done.

After lunch, grandma cathy left and it was naptime. OH MY GOSH! Forgot what it was like when only one child is at home....and they take naps! I had 2 1/2 hours all to myself. cleaned the floors, did 2 loads of laundry, surfed the web, took a nap, and finally showered. it was amazing!!!! when Owen woke up, we played for a little while then met up with the boys at Macaroni Grill. It was a great day! And Owen and i had some good one on one time. Scott said ryan enjoyed the mu game just as much. I guess i should enjoy the afternoons with my boys b/c before long, both boys will be jumping in the car with daddy to go to columbia for a game and i will be left at home all alone. i haven't decided if that is a good or bad thing!

It's cleaning time

So I thought I would try to be productive today and get something done during Owen's nap instead of take a nap. A nap always sounds good....but since i worked all weekend, I didn't get anything done around the house. First thing on the list....clean the frig. I had a great helper!

no pooping on the floor

This morning, Owen wanted to play in the water at the kitchen sink so i stripped him down and placed him in the tub so he could play in the water. Thought it would give him a little something to do. Of coarse Ryan wanted to join in so they played with bottle parts, bowls, zoo animals, etc....

I was dying to pee but knew i couldn't leave the boys so the moment Owen started getting dis-interested, i got him out, dried him off and ran to the bathroom. As i was peeing, I told him, "don't you go poop in the house." Like a 15 month old could really understand that one. So i peed then went and grabbed him and took him to his room to put a diaper on and to get clothes on....and my surprise, Owen had left me a surprise....POOP!

(pic of poop was posted but scott made me delete it. i found it funny....gotta laught it off otherwise, you would not be able to survive being a stay at home mom of a 3 1/2 year old and 15 month old. obviously, scott does not stay home with the kiddos!)

Ok, lesson learned. No matter how bad you have to pee, always put a dipaer on your child right after getting out of the "tub."

In other news, last weekend, Clark Griswold (from Christmas Vacation) made an appearance at our house. Yes, Scott put up christmas lights since it was still nice outside. We have not turned them on...it's way too early, but they are up. Superman thought he needed to assist.

Walk down Memory Lane.....one year ago.

Owen turned 12 weeks old and mommy started back to work :(

Owen gives the best hugs

He puts both arms around my neck and squeezes me. Then he starts playing with my hair. And his kisses are great too! Gotta love those "mouth wide open kisses." I hope that i never stop getting them!

Ryan, on the other hand, doesn't think i am as cool anymore. He has totally become a daddy's boy. Wants scott to put him to bed, play with him, help him eat (which is an issue that we are having anyways). Is my baby outgrowing his mommy?

So you think you can dance? Well, Ryan can

Fall leaves and Halloween

Before i show you my two great helpers who have helped me rake all the leaves, i have to show you ryan and the neighbor boys....playing with their light sabers. Ryan may only be 3 1/2, but he is out there, playing with the 5,6,7, and 8 year olds! Hey, whatever it takes to keep the kids outside playing instead of sitting in front of a tv!


Now, these are my two great "leaf picker uppers." Scott bags all the leaves with the lawn mower but we needed something to do to keep us entertained this past week so we raked leaves into several piles and jumped in them. It would not have been Fall, if we didn't do it!

Yep, putting two kids out in the trash. Think the trash men will take 'em? Naw, I still want them! Ryan and Owen were helping me smash all the leaves so we could pile more into the bag.

Happy Halloween! Spiderman and a Cow were found at our house! This was the week before halloween....we headed over to aunt emily's house so she could see us all dressed up.

This was Halloween night. Getting ready to go treat or treating. Ryan told me that i needed to dress up. I told him that i was a mommy princess...and without missing a beat, my mom said "oh ryan, i have a tutu and crown for mommy." yep, one of my tutu's from when i was a little girl and aunt katie's prom queen crown. Thanks mom! I'll make sure that Scott gets to dress up next year!

A walk down memory lane.....one year ago

gosh, they both look so little!!

Things I learned during our trip to Florida

*if traveling with a 14 month old, buy a seat on the airplane....don't travel with them as a "lap child."
*14 months is just not a good age of a child when traveling (learned this lesson with ryan in AZ and owen in FL)
*whoever invented those small straps to connect luggage together was a genius! (scott had to handle all the luggage while i handled kids in the double stroller)
*birds are just as fun to chase on the beach as they are when they are in your front yard
*it doesn't matter where a wedding takes place...it's the people that make the wedding.
*mother nature is ALWAYS unpredictable
*it doesn't matter how many wedding dresses you see your sister try on....you still get tears in your eyes when you see her walk down the isle.
*put any music on and kids will dance
*chatting with friends on the beach til 2am is a great way to end a wedding night
*6:45 am is way too early to get up after staying on the beach with friends til 2am!
*when kids get fussy, put in car and they will sleep!
*general admission to sea world and disney parks cost way too much!
*when visiting disney parks, always pack a lunch and take with you....saves so much money!
*always use "Fast Pass" at disney parks
*disney characters are not as freightening to kids as one may think
*chocolate ice cream is always a must when at magic kingdom
*the buzz lightyear ride is awesome!
*mailing toys to the hotel before you arrive is an absolute must!
*i've never been so proud of my two boys...ryan and owen. Ryan, especially was so well behaved...on the plane, at the beach, during emily's wedding/reception, and at disney world
*no matter how many people tell you "you are crazy for taking a 3 year old and 14 month old to disney parks," do it anyways!
*i've never seen my older sister happier. so glad beef is my brother in law.