A Time for Updates

It has been forever since I posted, and I still read blogs- I just don't typically comment anymore due to a major lack of time. However, I miss blogging about my own life and children. We'll see if I can be more regular.

Here's a quick rundown of events from the past few months-

1) Allen finally got the boys' playhouse built. They like it, but I think the slide scares them.

 2) Brody is still in speech therapy, but he has more confidence when he talks now. Although he doesn't say everything perfectly (what two-year old does?), he is in the "repeat" stage. He likes to comment or repeat everything you say to him. His favorite words are "me too," so conversations with him go something like this-
Mommy: Hey buddy. We are going to have your favorite food for dinner tonight.
Brody: Me too
Mommy: I can't wait to eat spaghetti.
Brody: Me too. Mmmmmm... That tastes good.
Mommy: I love when you eat my my cooking. It makes me feel so good.
Brody: Me too.
Even though he can say most words now, he still loves to tag the words "me too" on to everything. We find it rather adorable.


 
 



3) Mason is our jabberwokkie. He talks and talks and talks and never. stops. talking. Mason is a bit sneaky and likes to blame everything on his brother. Conversations with him go something like this-
Mommy: Oh no! Who tore the pages out of these books!
Mason: Body (he doesn't say the"r" in Brody's name)
Mommy: Oh, really, Mason? Brody has been upstairs with Daddy.
Mason: No, him do it.
Mommy: Mason, are you telling me a story?
Mason: Mommy, you come see my house?
Mommy: Are you ignoring me, Mason? I need you to tell Mommy the truth. Did you tear the pages out of these books?
Mason: (with sheepish grin on his face) No, Mommy, me read them. Me no tear books.
Mommy: Mason, I want you to tell me the truth.
Mason: Me dood it.
He is such a mess, but we make him tell us the truth when we know he is fibbing.




 
4) The boys love the water. We have a kiddie pool, but they also love the sprinklers.

5) My clothes aren't fitting, and I am disgusted by it. In fact, clothes I bought six months ago are too tight. I have never worked out, run, exercised or thought about exercising a day in my life! I finally decided to stop griping and do something about my body image. I am using the app called "5K Runner," and an ab workout. I run three days a week, do my ab/core workout three days a week, and I take a break one day a week. I just started this new routine, but I hope it helps me feel better about "me." I also need to alter our diet to be more healthful too. Baby steps. Baby steps.

6) I try and cook 5-6 meals per week for dinner so we eat out less. I have found many of my recipes on Pinterest, my new addiction. I love to cook and enjoy making things for my family. Now I just need to focus on more healthy choices.




 

7) I still miss my Tucker Bug on a regular basis. Friday, June 29th would have been his 11th birthday. The day hit me hard, but I do not want another dog! Miss Moxie is still a great companion, and she has become my new buddy. She stays with me in my office throughout the day, probably more to get away from the kids than anything.

8) Allen and I celebrated ten years of marriage this week. All I can say is, "wow!"



9) I'm ready for fall. I love the cooler months.

10) We have a new nanny for the kids. She rocks! We couldn't be happier with her. And although we love her, we have decided the boys need to be around other children in an educational environment. They will attend a church program beginning sometimes in August. Worst case scenario is that it doesn't work for the boys or us, and we find another nanny. I have mixed feelings about it all and know my family doesn't like it, but we feel like it is time to try. Mason needs to be challenged, and Brody needs more social interaction from someone other than his brother. Fingers crossed it all works out because the church is about a mile from the house. The transition may be rough, but I hope they are worked into their new schedule by Christmas.


11) We started potty training. Brody is doing great, but Mason wasn't ready. We are using  sticker chart with Bordy that has been working really well; he loves to pick out his stickers. We have decide to wait on Mason for another month or two, or at least until he shows some interest.

 12) The boys transitioned to their "big boys beds" in May. We love their new bedroom!

13) I took a trip with three college girlfriends in June, and it was fabulous! Although it rained a great deal of the time we were in Florida, we still had a blast! And I got a great picture of the sun when it had a weird ring around it. More thank anything, it was great to reminisce, laze around, and spend time with some awesome girls! I could have easily stayed another week in our amazing accommodations provided by my grandma's dear friend. She let us stay in the house mansion pictured below for FREE!

That's all I can  think of for now; enjoy the pictures and know I still read your blogs too!

Missing my Shadow

My sweet little shadow, Tucker Bug, was put to sleep a week and a half ago. There hasn't been a day that has gone by that I haven't thought about him and missed him dearly. Tucker Bug has been in my life longer than my husband, my kids, and most of my friends. If you are not a dog person, it may not seem like much of a loss to you. In my heart, it was. My eleven-and-a-half year old guy weathered the ups and downs with me, both pre-marriage and post-marriage. He was the sweetest little fella.

In the past several months, he just wanted to be near me. He wanted to see me. He didn't want me out of his site. How endearing. He would lie in my office and stare lovingly at me as I worked. He would dance on the back of my heels as I walked. He would lie in the den staring into the kitchen at me as I cooked meals. He napped with me on the weekends. I was with him through thick and thin, and he was with me through mine. He was the dog with nine lives (those of you that have known me as long as I have had Tuck know I speak the truth).



I know it was his time to go, and I am thankful he is no longer suffering from kidney failure.
I just wish it didn't hurt my heart so damn much.


My sweet little guy, my forever friend, my cuddliest companion.

 

 Rest in peace, little man!

June 29, 2000 - January 10, 2012

Stories

The past few weeks are a blur because of the move, but there are a few things that stand out to me-

1) The boys' caregiver comes to the house to watch them while I work. Ms. Gayla is amazing! She had put the boys down for a nap, and I heard someone screaming and crying from my office. I tuned in to listen carefully; I heard, "Oh my God! I am so sorry! I am so sorry! Oh my God!" Someone was bawling and screaming. A nasty vision flashed through my head- Gayla had gone downstairs to check on the boys and something had happened to one of them. I jumped out of my chair and raced to the living room to find Gayla sitting in a chair and watching TV. Panicked, I asked her if everything was OK. I must have looked like I had seen a ghost because she smiled sweetly, said "yes," and then looked at me puzzled. I told her I heard someone screaming and crying, and she told me she had been watching a video a friend sent her on her phone. Honestly, I think it may have been the scariest moment to date with the boys. I was literally shaking with fear and wanted to cry because I was so relieved all was okay. It's amazing how your brain leaps to conclusions sometimes. My head and heart have gone to some nasty places this week while replaying that episode in my mind. It was indescribably scary for me, but I am so thankful it ended up being nothing.The thought of losing these boys gives me nightmares, but I am ultimately not in control; I just try not to think about those kinds of things.

2) The boys love the stairs in our new house. They have actually done very well navigating them, and we don't currently  have any baby gates up, although that may change once we put the boys in bigger beds.

3) The boys loved trick or treating this year. They looked adorable in their superhero costumes. Mason was Batman, and Brody was Superman. They weren't in picture-taking moods, so I don't have any great shots, but I did snap a few. Oh well; that's life.

4) I LOVE our new house, even though it is a work in progress. We have lots of changes we want to make, but it has great "bones." The one thing driving me the most crazy at the moment, however, is that we don't have a doggy door for the dogs. I literally have to take them out every one to two hours, and poor Tucker has actually had a few accidents in the house already. The dogs have always had the freedom of a doggy door, so they don't know how to let us know they need outside. It stinks, but I know they are adjusting too.

5) Brody wanted more snack this week. After I put some in his bowl and handed it to him, he replied, "Tank ew, Mama." Talk about melting my everlovin' heart!

6) Mason's vocabulary is growing by the second! His new favorite words are, "Oh wow," "oh no," "oh boy," and "uh oh." Too cute. We typically go running when we hear "uh oh." Mason is also our poop detector. Every time we are walking and he sees poop, he is sure to point it out and tell us "shooey" as he waves his hand over it. Such a goof.

Guess that's all for now. I'm trying to get back in the blogging swing of things because I really want to document my kids right now. They are at such a fun and busy exhausting age, but they make for interesting days and nights. Speaking of- here are two of my new favorite videos. I call them "Cutest Bunny Ever" starring Brody Harrison and "Animal Noises" starring Mason Atticus.