New day, new point of view

Can you tell anything different about our house? Anything at all? Maybe on the second floor. Maybe it's the windows...Yes, the shades are up! That's the project Mom and I did right before I plummeted off the face of the earth. I'm sooooo thrilled. I mean who doesn't have shades and curtains in their house???

My new glasses! Snazzy.
Is it a photo showing off glasses OR a Canon ad?

I'm a 19 month old monster of love today!

Mom, don't you have enough pics YET???

This is how he sleeps. Blankets pressed to face. It freaks me out! And it's exactly the way I sleep too...


Well, for quite a while now, I've gotten so frustrated with how slow the dining room has been going, I've lost sight of how much I love this house. It probably doesn't help that I've been reading other people's blogs and I always gravitate towards the ones that have big new perfectly decorated houses. It really makes it so obvious how much different my house is from what I'd like it to be. Which drives the point home how little I make now because I stay home with Matthew and how little I contribute to the finances and how that's slowed house progress and...I could go on and on and spiral down into a deep dark funk. Well, anyway, today two of the parents that came to pick up their kids told me how great my house was starting to look. In fact one parent said, "You're house is just looking lovelier and lovelier. I have always loved that house. When you started doing the roof, ah, just so perfect." Talk about re-instilling pride in your home. Ok, so maybe my house isn't perfect and all designer yet. And maybe it's only a measly 1800 sq feet. It's mine and 100 years old! I've totally forgotten to say that it's officially 100 this year. Brand new homes are lovely, but they are cookie cutter houses and in some ways aren't built as well and with as much care to details. I guess I can't deny the country girl in me that calls to old farms and homes. Which makes me think how everyone wears different hats. I know that the country girl lives in me and a fashion diva, but I mostly end up as a frumpy dumpy jeans girl. My husband would say I look like a preppy girl. I hope people see me more as that then what I see myself as!

It is my custom to try and take pictures of Matthew on the 13th every month so that I can see how much he grew over the month. I started out taking them in our big living room chair, but since Phil took it with him, it makes that not possible. So I ran around the house trying to take pictures of him and he evaded. I think he's getting grown up enough that he doesn't want Mommy flashing his eyes so much, but he better get used to it. It probably isn't stopping for many a year yet. Then his child will get the glory of my flash and improved picture taking skills.

Recouping

I am recovering nicely. I've finally had some solid food and don't feel too strange for having had it. I (with some guilt) took the day off. Ever since I got sick, Matthew has been also having major gastric distress in his diapers, so he probably needed to stay home today anyway. Hopefully he is finally done with that business! Since we spent the day resting at my parents (Phil had to leave to go back to work and I couldn't handle Matthew on my own, so he took me to my parents to finish recouping-Mom couldn't come up because she has a form of this nasty stuff too! And now Phil I believe is getting it also...) we don't have much news, but we'll leave you with some delightful pictures.

This first one should be titled: Chocolate anyone? In October, at school, someone most have given him chocolate. These 1st 3 are off my phone.

Hanging out with Great Grandmom, waiting for the motorcycle riders that never showed up in September.
Looking cute on Great Grandmom's porch swing with my Grandparents the same night.

It's hard work making your way through brome stubble. Sometimes you just have to get off, push, and finally pick up your bike and wheel it back out to the lawn grass...

Modern Texas Ranger trying to avoid his diaper change, while stealing a moment to reach out and touch someone...
Devil cat? You decide.

What a night part 2

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's just too exciting around here. I am ready to go on vacation now. Anyone know of a wonderful beach I can lie on for about a month?

Yesterday my mom, Matthew, and I went and picked up my new glasses. I think they are actually pretty nice. We then went to eat at Applebee's and hastily shopped for some new clothes for me that I needed desperately. When we got back to my house Phil was home (Yea!) and Mom and I did a project I'll talk about later. In the evening, it all went downhill. I started feeling sick and thought I'd overate. I went to bed and then it began. In a nutshell, either I had exactly what Matthew had only more severe, or I had food poisoning. Either way I am feeling most unpleasant today. So for the next day or so I will be recovering and won't be doing much on the blog. I hope that the rest of you are having a much more pleasant weekend. Talk to you all soon.

Matthew's imaginary phone conversations

If you happened to catch Matthew playing with his cell phone these are some of the conversations that you'd likely overhear.

Puts phone to ear, grunts uh...uh...uh...uh...uh...uh...uh...uh...uh...uh...uh and shuts phone

Puts phone to ear, no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no...no and shuts phone

Puts phone to ear, meow...meow...meow...meow...meow...meow...meow...meow and shuts phone

(I don't know about you, but I've never talked cat on a phone to anyone. It might be interesting to hear the reaction! "How are you today?, Meow, are you feeling well?, Meow, why are you saying that?, Meow")

Yesterday, as is the normal lately, Matthew was building and rebuilding with his mega bloks. At one point he came over with what looked like the Mega Blok equivilient of a Academy Award or something. So I raised my arm in the arm and said, "Yea!" Matthew thought that was funny and copied me. Later, while supposedly eating his lunch, he started raising his fork in the air and saying, "Yea!" You just never know what you are going to start.

Also while eating lunch yesterday, he emphatically told the dog "no" (with the pointed finger) several times for just sitting there. He has also squatted down to stare eye to eye with the cat in her litterbox and told her the same thing. He had to explain to him that the cat most certainly should be doing what she was doing!

What a night

Yesterday was pretty normal for all of us. Matthew took a nap and I got some stuff done. We went to school and came home. I fixed some soup for us and he ate it up! I was soooo thrilled my baby was eating! Then he wanted some goldfish crackers. Close to his bedtime he curled up on my lap and fell asleep. I got him ready for bed and he fell back asleep. I did a couple more things and went to bed around 11. We were sleeping well went I heard a weird splatting sound. It was quickly followed by a wailing baby and I realized that I had been waking up to him throwing up! Poor guy, I'd get him and his bed changed and he'd start again or do some business in his pants. For two hours it was not pleasant. Finally we all fell asleep after 3am and it was over. I don't think he's still up to full speed, but at least he's keeping stuff down. We are going to take the day off from work and just rest. About the fourth time he threw up, Matthew pointed at the mess and said sadly, "What IS this?" I think I smiled. It was really unexpected in the middle of the mess. So I had to explain to my little guy what was happening to him.

On a nicer note, over break Matthew started to really understand that the tv is for watching. Once in awhile if something really caught his attention he would sit very quietly, like his dad, and stare at the tv. It is very cute and sortof sad for me. It means he's growing up and I hope that he doesn't lose his love for being outside and instead, just sit in front of the tv.

Well, in my half asleep crazed state last night, I got out the shot warnings so I would know if he was having a reaction to the shots they gave him Monday. They were in my purse and since Matthew is bringing me stuff from my purse I'm guessing I never closed it. I'd better go and zip it up!

Handy

For the last 2 days every time I'd undress Matthew I'd notice that on his inner thigh right next to his knee he had bruises and I couldn't figure out what in the world could have caused it. I mean he falls and does all sorts of crazy stuff, but he doesn't bruise like I do. Where and what happened? Then today I was reading what I wrote a couple of days ago and it came to me. It's probably trauma from when we decided to jam our leg through our crib bars! Mystery solved. Where would I be without my handy blog to help me figure out life's little mysteries??? (In case you can't answer that, I'd still be pondering why he had bruises. I was leaning towards an unknown person, that was nowhere around my child, getting rough with him.)

A day of 1st's

Pushing the buttons on our tank. It moves forward and backward.

Riding our horse one last time before bed.

Here is Matthew sitting on his great and wonderful potty chair. He will mimic what he's supposed to do, but he will not allow you to put him on to actually potty. It sings and he knows exactly how to turn it on. So most days he is just making it sing it's songs. Today I got tired of him playing with it and turned it off. Right before I took this picture, he'd carefully pulled it out from the wall enough to turn it on (this is why it's at an angle), and carefully sat on it (after raising the lid) to brush teeth. After the picture was taken he put the lid down, carefully turned it off, and attempted to push it back against the wall. I had to smile at how clever (and tidy) he is.

Here he is (brushing teeth once again) on his swing. Over the weekend he learned how to get on the swing by himself and push himself. I was trying to teach him to not drag his legs and as you can see he's got it now. He really raises them up. He just loves this inside gym. What a blessing to have it.


We went and got Matthew's shots this morning. He cried while they were sticking him, but as soon as I was pulling his pants up the crying stopped and he was just fine again. He is such a trooper. He won't have anymore shots until he is 4.

Our first day back to work and daycare went ok. Matthew refused to take a nap again today, but was remarkably well behaved. I am really hoping we can get back in the swing of napping. Stupid holidays, they mess up everything!

Matthew has finally decided that he loves his new tank and isn't afraid to push it's buttons anymore. He was sortof scared of it at first, then he decided it was ok, but he wasn't going to touch it. Then he decided he want to watch it move, but a parent had to do it. I was getting real sick of hearing it making it's noises by time he went to bed! There is no off switch on it, although Matthew is very good at finding them and turning them back on so it probably doesn't matter.

Remarkably Matthew ate his supper really well tonight. He ate his chicken and green beans. I was so excited I almost started doing backflips, but I held it in. Since he did so well, I thought I'd give him the mini box of Nerds I said he could have if he ate his dinner. I opened the box for him and handed it over. I'd left the bowl of leftover food on his tray. You can see where this is going. He poured his Nerds in with the last bits of green beens, corn, and chicken chunks. Poor guy. He didn't fuss though and valiantly attempted to get them out to eat one by one. Finally I told him he'd done well enough and said I'd get him a new box while taking the bowl away. He howled in protest till he saw the new box. This time I just poured it out on his clean tray. It worked much better.

It had to end

Sporting our brand new 9er's hoodie. (And the hat he gave me for Christmas.) Thanks Uncle Dan and Auntie Tara, it fits good!

Just precious if you ask me. Showing off his very own cap that lives at Grandpa and Grandma's.

Dad's computer case makes a good seat while I try and get my mega bloks together...


...and the "oh" look because I did it!

I knew that it was going to go quickly and it did. It is now evening and tomorrow school begins again. I do not hold out much hope for tomorrow being a super duper wonderful day. First day without Daddy and we need to go get our 18 month shots. Ick. Sortof forgot about that till Sat. I should have tried to have them done Friday, but they probably weren't open. At least I'm going to tell myself that.

We relaxed as a family and got some stuff done today. I'm super excited that finally 26 months after moving into this house we have finally gotten enough shades to do every window upstairs, but one. And it's a northern facing one that is so small we use it as a storage closet so it's no problem. Finally stuff can stop fading. At least it will when we actually get them up. When I suggested we get started Phil looked at me like I was insane and declined. I'm hoping to con my Mom into coming over and helping me. Next will be working on getting nicer ones for downstairs. If we could just settle on paint schemes and curtains to match, we'd be in business. If I order colored shades now they are sure to be the wrong color once the paint goes on and we finally agree on curtains. I'm patient, but things are moving a little tooo slow down here for my taste. Especially since the only windows with curtains are in the living room and the curtains in the bedroom are flannel sheets. Oh yeah, we're so classy around here. Since I was exhausted and pregnant (when we moved in), the sheets were the only thing I could find big enough to cover our enormous windows down here. They were meant to be temporary, but turned out to be not nearly as temporary as I'd hoped. One day, some day...

And I almost forgot to tell you that this morning (since it was my last opportunity to sleep in for awhile) Phil had graciously agreed to get up with Matthew at the crack of dawn. Well dawn cracked and with it came Matthew hopping around in his bed talking. He talks louder and louder to roust a person out of bed. Any who, I was doing my best to ignore him till Phil got up and took him away, when suddenly he let out the shriek that sends icy water through a mom's veins and started crying. I was suddenly 100% awake and in motion. Matthew, for some reason, decided that it would a great idea to stick his leg through the bars on the crib and the fleshy little knee wasn't letting it go back in. I even had a hard time stuffing it back through, but we did it. I turned to see how my husband was taking all of this (I mean it woke him up of course right?) only to find that in fact no, it had not. I figured if he could see through all that noise and excitement then he needed to sleep in more than I did and took Matthew away myself. I know that one of you left a message saying our house was too exciting for you, but I'll ask again, anyone up to living with us?

The right way

If I step on here carefully....

and use my strong boy muscles...

I will reach the top and slide down to pose for my mom. I'm serious, he posed for this!

The brat kitten...
grrrr....my plant...


There is many right ways to do things. My son has already learned that. He has learned that you can climb up the ladder and slide down the slide like everyone else (and your mom wants you to) or you can climb up the slide and slide back down it. I mean there are sooooooo many options. So that's what I woke up to this morning. He didn't take long to figure it out.

I also knew the kitten attacked my plant, but yesterday I caught her in the act and got it on film. I did not get on film her jumping on the poor bird's cage, hanging from it briefly while it swung crazy, and dropped seconds before the cage crashed to the ground showering the floor with bird seed and water, but I heard it. What a wreck. I also didn't catch her on film hanging from my couch. I can't wait till she grows out of all the craziness. Have I announced that she's also a tail sucker? Yes, she uses the end of her tail as a pacifier. But only at night so she can cuddle next to your head and wake you up to slurping. Nothing like waking up to slurping and a freakishly long wet tail. Don't you wish you could live at our house?

Phil got busy and did alot of work around here and Matthew and I are very grateful. Not only that, but he cooked all our meals. Gotta love that. And the Army will drag him away again tomorrow. At least we had a good chunk of time together.

Matthew has been working on perfecting his raspberries on me. He gets such good ones on my legs that Phil turned to me today and asked in all seriousness if I let one go. Then he zeroed in on the boy and realized it was him. Summer could be tricky this year since he attacks bare skin. He tries to attack Phil's legs, but the hair is just too much for him. Over break he started taking showers with Phil and he loves them! It probably doesn't hurt they play and taste the water. All I hear is laughter. If he hears Phil getting in he's running for the bathroom and loudly saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, UP!" He's going to miss them since Mom just gives him baths. Boring old Mom.

How our family ushered in 2009

Matthew and Mom in the cool tent Great Auntie snagged for him. It was the first time it came out and it made big impression.

Mom startled by the camera.

Matthew insisted on playing outside today and wandered into the shed. There he immediately spotted my wreck of a well loved Radio Flyer tricycle. Of course he had to crawl up on it and of course I had to take his picture.

Taking off to explore parts unknown with the faithful yorkies...

Getting my picture taking on New Years Eve. Completely sober I promise. Just excited that I was going out to the bar on New Years Eve for the first time in 7 years!

Assuring my camera reluctant husband we have to take a picture together.

Ok, I try again because I only got half of his face. In this one he looks out of it, but he hadn't been drinking either so I'm sure it was because the photo session was being prolonged.

Phil finally took over the picture taking because I didn't have a long enough arm to get his head in the picture right.

Phil and Angela's coat in the lower corner at the street concert. She ducked out of the shot at the last second, grrrrrr....

The band.

Yep, it was Eve6. I nearly lost my toes, until I put my gloves on them, just to watch them. (Yes, in 28 degree weather I insisted on wearing my cool open toed heels because they looked good with my outfit. It was New Years Eve people. It only took 20 minutes for them to stop hurting once we got back in the club.)

Angela wearing a New Year Eve hat backwards. I called it the tin man look. Thank you for graciously allowing me to take the picture.


I took lots of great pics for the New Year. In fact I didn't drink a drop of alcohol, but you'd never know it from my smile. I was taking pictures before we even left! Well, back tracking a bit, Sunday I washing the last load of clothes, when I found out my step aunt and uncle were in town and if we wanted to see them we needed to leave right away. So I did what any rational person that hadn't seen their family in a couple years would do. I left it in the washing machine. I left it all soggy wet knowing I wouldn't be around till Wednesday at some point to deal with it. We made it in time to probably chat for 30 mins. and show off Matthew. After that it was up to Phil's, hung out with my Auntie, shared a car with Phil (first time in our marriage we had only 1), grocery shopped, cooked, and cleaned. Matthew was bored without his new toys so he insisted on dragging our vacuum around.

Ok, now it's Wednesday around 2 in the afternoon. Phil's just gotten off work. We have realized that Phil has no clean pants because they are all in the load of laundry that got ditched. We now realize that we have zoom home and do laundry before we can go anywhere. So we pack up and head to my parents. They graciously agreed to watch Matthew for the night so we can go out with my friend Angela. Matthew was so glad to be away from Dad's boring pad that he just kissed us goodbye and turned his back on us. We hustled down the road to our house and dragged all our stuff in. Then we started the laundry again and I went off in search of an outfit. I was in such a good mood I started taking pictures before we left. We made it to my friend's and managed to find a parking spot not too far away from the Ville. We went to a new club and managed to snag the last table. After Phil and Angela drank a beer and I a coke, Angela assured me we had to go out in the cold and freeze my toes to listen to the concert. I don't remember any of it, because of the stuff going on around us, except to wonder if they had to cuss so much in their farewell speech. GEEZ, am I a mom or what. Around this time is when I thought my toes were going to fall off, so I pulled my gloves on over my feet. It helped, but should have been done much earlier. Anyway, then because midnight was 20 mins away we stayed outside so that we would have a good spot to watch the apple drop, but it was a mistake. You see, Phil had the idea we should get as close as the barrier would allow. But the mob pressed in all around us shoving. Then the drunk guys wanted to tear down the barricade. That brought the cranky cops over. After more compressing and shoving the count down started and 2 new drunk guys started a fight, which was causing me to nearly fall. This enraged me enough to start screaming more cuss words at them then the band probably said. After 15 seconds (which felt like 2 hours), Phil decided it was time to move me so neither him or I got into a fight. After that we cruised back into the club and managed to snag an abandoned reserved table. We waited till Angela drank another beer (all the while laughing at all the trashed crabby couples) and cruised out of there before all the drunk people got kicked out. After snagging some Burger King we drove back to my parents, relieved Mom of her post, and crawled into bed around 2:30. Happy New Year!

Today we ended up staying at my parents all day. Matthew played and said "Blast off" several times for the first time. He was copying his Retro Rocket. Mom and I worked on putting our Halloween puzzle together finally. And everyone watched the Monk marathon. That was a treat considering we don't have any channels at our house. Mom and Dad assured us that the 3 of them had a wonderful evening. We are hoping to get some sleep tonight and have another relaxing day tomorrow, but considering we're still up and it's really late, I think lots of sleep in out. I think the relaxing day is out because we have never ending errands to run! But we'll see. 3 more days of much needed vacation left.