I think I'm in Love

CLEANS E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I might just marry it, since my husband is dead and all (see previous post).

Who's a morning person?

Not me.

But apparently both of my children are. They are their most delightful selves early in the morning. I wake up every morning at 6:45 am to a sweet little boy telling me that he wants waffles, NOW. And God help me if I tell him I just want to sleep five more minutes. "I NEED WAFFLES NOOOOW, MOMMY", like he's been starved all week. His younger brother follows closely behind at 7 am, where I find him sitting up in his crib chirping about God knows what. As I change his diaper, he rattles off every animal on Old McDonald's farm and every sound that each animal makes, as if he's been singing the whole song all night in his sleep. They are so sweet and so adorable that I feel guilty I'm not as perky in the morning. Their early morning cheerfulness is a trait they have inherited from their father, not me. Most people that know me would agree it is wise to stay away from me before 9 am, sometimes 10 am.

Last year, Mike went to visit his brother in Boston, and they went to a baseball game at Fenway Park. He brought me home a t-shirt that says "Green Monstah" on it. If you don't know - like I didn't - what the Green Monstah is (it's actually Green Monster, but the Monstah is a play on the Boston accent), it's the nickname for the left field wall at Fenway. He bought it nice and big so that I could sleep in it. He thought it would be an appropriate nickname for me in the morning.



 

May he rest in peace.

Happiness is...

a bubble bath in the middle of the afternoon.

Help For The Weary

I was on the phone with my BEST FRIEND :) AD last night, and we were talking about her sweet-little-peanut-baby, Charleigh.

 Charleigh is not quite two months old, so mommy and baby are still getting to know one another and are still trying to establish normal feedings and sleep times.

I remembered this blog that my friend Sherrie used when she first had her baby. It's called Chronicles of a Babywise Mom (www.babywisemom.blogspot.com) and it is fantastic. Her blog is based on the Babywise books by Gary Ezzo, which are all about getting your baby on a schedule, so that both you and baby know what to expect throughout your day. He also has written books taking the reader through the transition from baby to toddler, toddler to preschooler, even up to becoming a teenager.



I've only read Babywise and Toddlerwise, and they were both really helpful.

 

So I just thought I'd share that with my public (all 3 of you, haha) for what it's worth. Motherhood (and Fatherhood...but not as much as motherhood...haha) can be tough, so we'll take all the help we can get!

She's At It Again

Yes, it's a poop post. Ye Be Warned.

I'm just wondering...how is it that my kid can take a simple act - like changing a diaper - and turn it into a triathlon?

When he sees me coming with a fresh diaper and wipes, he takes off running in the other direction like an olympic athlete. NO, CRAZY LADY! I WOULD RATHER WALLOW IN MY OWN EXCREMENT THAN HAVE THAT CLEAN DIAPER GRACE MY BOTTOM!  He seems to think that I'm about to torture him somehow, like stick bamboo shoots up his fingernails or something. It's like trying to catch a greased pig. Once I finally get him pinned down and get the old diaper off, it's a race to wipe his little butt fast enough so he doesn't fling poop everywhere.

I know, you're SO JEALOUS you aren't me.

Another Celebrity Mom I Adore

My closest friends know that I'm a bit of a celebrity junkie. I read People magazine (which my aunt so graciously supplies me), US, In Touch, and dare I say it, the occasional gay gossip blogger, Perez Hilton. GO AHEAD. JUDGE ME.

All that said, I just love this new article with Jennifer Garner in In Style magazine. My friend Gina (who is MORE obsessed with Jen Garner than I admittedly am) and I used to joke that if Jennifer Garner knew either one of us that she would TOTALLY want to be our best friends. Yes, I'm aware we sound like total stalkers. She just seems like a normal person, for a celebrity anyway.

Gina, this post is dedicated to you. Enjoy! :)



http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/04/21/jennifer-garner-dishes-on-sweet-sera/

In Honor of Earth Day

When we first visited Georgia almost four years ago, I fell in love. We came in the summertime; the weather was warm, and everything was green (this was before we went head first into a drought!). 

 

One of the things I loved the most when we moved here, was how close I felt to God when we would drive over the Buford Dam at sunset. From the dam you can see Lake Lanier on one side, and The Chattahoochee River on the other. I've been to states that are far more beautiful than Georgia (Glacier National Park in Montana comes to mind), but this place takes my breath away nonetheless.

 

My parents visited this weekend, and we were able to spend some time on Lake Lanier fishing with our boys.

 









 

It was perfect. It was cloudy and breezy, and every once in a while, the sun would peek out from behind the clouds and make everything come alive with color.

 





 

Even in the overcast moments, it was beautiful.

 



 

Thank you God, for your awesome creation!

Go Go Gadget Arms

While out driving this morning, I saw a woman in an SUV swerving all over the road. My knee jerk reaction to these scenarios is GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONE AND DRIVE.

But upon closer examination, I saw the woman's arm moving back and forth wildly between the two front seats of the vehicle. Only then did it occur to me why exactly she was swerving. How many times have I found myself in the car with a screaming baby - or toddler for that matter - reaching into my bag to pull out the numerous tricks and treats to make my baby - or toddler - STOP SCREAMING.

Forget vehicular safety...MUST. MAKE. SCREAMING. STOP.

I said a quick prayer for the motoring mommy and went along on my way.

LOVE YOU MOMMY!

This is just a shout out to the woman who gave birth to me, since I know she'll be reading this blog at SOME POINT IN MY LIFE.

A Great Way to Start the Day

I have been REALLY sick lately.

I haven't been this sick in a long time. I'm usually one of those "suck it up" kind of people. So what I'm sick...I can still clean the whole house and entertain my crazy kids and do 18 loads of laundry...no problem.

Not so this time.

It started last Thursday (Cody's Birthday) with a sore throat.

Friday began the itchy, foggy head and the feeling like I'd been run over by a freight train.

Saturday was the fun part where I got to be the Easter bunny for our neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. Let me just say that I feel sorry for whoever has to wear that Easter bunny head after me, because my nose started running like a leaky faucet the minute I put that head on, and what was I supposed to do? Take the head off in front of all the cute little kids in their Easter outfits and scare the bejesus out of them just to wipe my nose? I think not.

Easter Sunday (Tyler's Birthday) I couldn't breathe AT ALL because all the mucous was stuck in limbo (made even more horrifying by the thoughts of those green monsters in the Mucinex commercials climbing through my sinuses...disgusting).

Monday and Tuesday I just felt crummy with a headache from the ever-present sinus pressure.

Yesterday, it began moving into my chest. Every time I coughed I swore I was dislodging part of my brain...which, let's face it, giving birth to two children dislodged most of it, so I don't know that I can afford to dislodge much more without rendering myself completely unable to tie my shoes.

This morning, however, I took Cody to school. On my way home I stopped through McDonald's for breakfast...and by breakfast I mean A LARGE COKE. 



Aaahhh....I'm feeling better already. :)

I hate my husband

Actually, I love him dearly. But right now I hate him because I want one of these:



I didn't always like ice cream. I didn't always need something sweet after dinner. And then I married MIKE.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Our littlest Mann, Tyler is 2 today! He is exactly 2 years and 3 days younger than his brother, Cody. He was born via c-section and was 5 lbs. 3 oz. He spent a week in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit because he was severely underweight when I had him (and to this day we still don't know what happened!). I have never prayed (or cried!) more than when I had Tyler. I was so afraid to lose him that first week. The doctors at the hospital were excellent, and one week later we were able to bring sweet Tyler home. Since that day he has grown so much and surprises us every day!

Little Tyler,

We are so thankful to God for bringing you into our lives. You are full of energy and mischief and will probably scare Mommy and Daddy for the rest of our lives (which lets me know you have a healthy dose of Uncle J in you) :) You love cars and trains just as much as your big brother Cody. I love that you love green beans (I could never get Cody to eat his green beans, and now he does, thanks to you!). Your hair is curly and unruly (which you inherited from Mommy, sorry!) You love to talk and run around and play and you LOVE to dance (and you're good, which is a trait from your Daddy, not me).

Daddy and I love you so so much and we can't wait to see what you do next.

Happy Birthday my little monkey.

Mommy 

xoxoxo

Happy Birthday Cody!

My sweet little boy Cody turned 4 today! I cannot believe it was FOUR years ago that I had him. He was born at 4:29am and was 8 lbs. 12 oz.  It was not an easy labor and delivery, but like they say, all is forgotten once that baby hits your arms. I never knew the depth of my capacity to love until that little guy was put into my arms. If my memory serves me correctly, I think my first (drugged up) words after being able to hold him were, "He smells like Sonny's baked beans". Nice.

Sweet Cody,

I wish there were words to express how much joy you have brought to our family. You are the sweetest little boy I know. You are loving and tender-hearted, and I hope that never changes. You love your brother and you are a friend to everyone. I love that you beg to be tickled (a trait you MUST have inherited from your father, because your Mommy HATES it). I love that you love to read. I love that you love to explore new places. I love that you love Disney World (that is absolutely a trait from your Mommy). I love that you enjoy learning new things at school.

Your Daddy and I have so much enjoyed watching you grow up. We thank God for you EVERY DAY!

Happy Birthday baby.

Mommy

xoxoxo

I'll never sleep again...ever

It's 12:15 am and I'm still awake.

I WANT to sleep. In fact, I've TRIED to sleep. I attempted to sleep at 10:45. Couldn't fall asleep. Probably should not have drank that Chai tea from Starbucks (and it was a tall...not even a venti!). So I did a little bit of reading to calm me down and then tried again at 11:30. At 11:45, Tyler woke me up. Went back to bed at 11:47. Fell asleep for about 1 minute, then Mike started snoring. It's 12:17 now, and I'm guessing any minute Cody will wake up for the middle of the night bed switcheroo, which will banish me from my own comfy bed to either his bed or the downstairs guest bed (because there is no way I'm trying to sleep with a snoring husband AND a toddler with restless leg syndrome in a queen sized bed). 

I keep asking myself...will I ever get a full night's sleep...EVER? I cannot remember the last time I slept 8 6 straight hours. It might've been my last vacation without kids, and I can't honestly remember when that was either. 

No sleepy makes mommy grumpy. :(

Snack of the Day

I tend to eat my kids' food. I do this because my kids are picky. From time to time I'll try to throw something new into their diet, just to mix things up a little. Every once in a while, I pick a loser...and both kids hate it. What kids don't like yummy, salty, no good for them snacks? Apparently mine.

I like to watch Rachael Ray, and I particularly like her "Snack of the Day" bit. Each member of the audience gets their own bag or box of whatever the treat of the day is. I've decided to start my own "Snack of the Day" (or perhaps a more appropriate title would be "Snack of the Week", since I doubt I'll snack on such a variety of things as to merit a daily update).

So, today's (discarded by my children) snack is:



Hooray for Cheerios! I especially like the Cheddar flavor, because they taste like Doritos (so much for brand loyalty!) And I get to eat the WHOLE bag, since the kids could care less about it. Apparently, they are Cheerios snobs; only the original kind will touch their lips.

Update: My husband came home and I asked for a few minutes to myself. I make it upstairs for, literally, a minute. I hear screaming downstairs. I think to myself, "Do I go down there and see what's wrong? Or do I let him handle it?". I then hear, "Beth?!". I come out of the room too see what's going on and to help my poor husband. What snack do I see in front of my youngest, Tyler? The CHEERIOS! I quietly come downstairs, clean the unwanted snack from his tray and give him some yogurt instead. Ahhh, all is right with the world again.

Summer is Here!

Well, okay...not technically. The weather is still vacillating between cold and warm, the trees don't quite have their leaves back, and our community pool is still closed.

BUT...

We got a picnic table yesterday! Here's what it'll look like when I'm finished with it (sanding and staining and all)!



I could not be more excited. Now I know you're probably thinking, "A picnic table? Not so exciting." For me, though, it is! It's sturdy (which is a plus, since my boys are human wrecking balls) and it's friendly...it just makes you want to sit elbow to elbow with your closest family and friends. We had a picnic table when I was little, and I remember our family having cookouts, birthdays, holidays, and many other fun memories on it. I have wanted one for a while now, so that when the weather DOES finally cooperate, we can use it to make our own awesome memories.

Summer...here we come!

 

Note: You'll notice my page has a new look, and I finally took the time and figured out how to add pictures to my blog. I know, duh. So from now on they'll be a little more colorful :)

My Favorite Things

I've seen a few bloggers do this, so here are a few of my favorite things, in no particular order :)

• The smell of my kids after a bath


• Thunderstorms (non-tornadic)


• Fresh from the dryer bedsheets


• H&M - my new favorite clothing store (I first shopped there in London, and now they have one in the Mall of Georgia!)


• Chai tea


• Coke


• Stephenie Meyer - author of Twilight


• Sushi (Though I'm not that adventurous - I mostly like the shrimp, crab, or veggie varieties)


• Girl's Nights Out (these have become few and far between!)


• Going to the movies - and my Regal Crown Club card that gets me free movies and concession items from time to time)


• The smell of my husband's t-shirts


• The sound of my boys laughing together


• The beach...I definitely took it for granted when we lived in Florida!


• Speaking of Florida...Disney World!


• my church - I never thought I'd enjoy a pastor as much as Bob Coy...until I heard Andy Stanley!


• reading and writing (not arithmetic though)


• my iPhone (this one is purely frivolous, and I blame my husband :))


• hot baths/showers


• my parents