Is she NUTS?!

Or am I?  Today Grey had his (way late) 6 month check up.  It was way late all because I scheduled a doctor's appt for me on the same day and at the same time as his.  Oops.  I thought last night, hey, why not try to get Anna's 3 year check up done at the same time as Grey's appt?  I was going to have to pick up Anna and Grey both from "school" since the appt was just late enough that I wasn't sure we'd be done in time to get back and pick up Anna when she got out.  So I figured she'd just go with us.  She did so well last time I took her to Grey's appt.  She consoled him while he got his shots, and talked to the nurses and doctor so politely.  I thought that maybe I could talk her through getting her shots along with Grey this time.  I was not optimistic.

I picked them up from school and off we went.  Daddy was so kind to meet us at the doc's office mid-day to help with any meltdowns or pep talks.  We got both of them weighed and measured.  Grey: 20.4 lbs and 27.5" long.  Anna: 32 lbs and 37" tall (ish).  I can't quite remember.  Her height may be totally wrong.  I do know that she gained a whole 2 lbs in a year.  That's not that much.  Anyway.  As the nurse looked at all Anna's stats on the computer, she gasped and said, "Anna doesn't get shots today!"  I kind of felt bad that I asked my husband to come help when I didn't need it after all.  But it was nice anyway.

  

For some reason, Anna was a little bummed that she wasn't going to get shots.  She started saying things like, "Mommy, I want a shot right here (pointing in a random spot). Mommy I was TWO shots! I want one right here and right here...and two on my legs, and one on my arm!"  What?  Maybe she didn't know what a shot really was like, or maybe she didn't remember.  After we talked to the doctor, and as he was leaving he said, so we need two flu shots, and rattled off a couple more medical terms for other shots for Grey.  I looked at Anna and said, "Hey, you DO get a shot today!"  Her face lit up.  Really.  She hopped right up on the table and said that she wanted to go first.  The nurse briskly talked her through it, held her hands, and gave her the shot in her thigh.  Anna's eye's darted toward me as she took a deep breath in and cringed a bit.  The nurse pulled out the needle and stuck a band aid on it.  Anna let out her airy giggle.  That was it.  No crying.  She even got up and help Grey's hand while he got his three shots, telling him "Iz ok Grwey."  

Christmas Cards.

We went for a walk around Hobby Lobby today with Nana and low and behold, Christmas trees.  I know they have probably been out for a while...probably since about June.  But I haven't been there in a while.  I got into the decorating spirit quickly!  I looked at all the fun things they had for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I found this super cool swag thing that you would hang around your front door.  50% off...but still $25 and I'd need two of them.  :(  I would hear Anna gasp at all the different figurines.  She loved it.  You would've thought she's seen Santa Claus himself!  But all this holiday stuff got me thinking...  I should probably start getting accustomed to making Christmas cards!  So I played around a bit.  

The scissors and the hospital.

This morning I let Anna cut some paper.  Ever since Erin came over and taught her how to cut, and after we made MORE circles for her circle calender (counting down to nowhere), she has been obsessed.  I just hope those scissors don't venture up to her hair!  Read Megan's blog!  But Miss Megan didn't do much damage at all.  :)  She just added a little "punk" to her already cute style.  :)  So, I looked over at Anna and saw her with one of her fingers between the scissor blades.  She wasn't "cutting" her finger, just looking at me as if she could and knew that it wouldn't be a good thing.  I told her get her finger away from the scissors and to only cut the paper...and that if she cut her fingers with the scissors, the blood would come out and she may have to go to the hospital.  She got that "hopeless look" on her face and said, "But I want to go get another baby from the hospital!"  "Sorry girl.  Grey's enough baby for us right now," I told her.  Besides the teeth, he's a much happier man these days though.  ;)

Another show of hands...

Raise your hand if you buy new cleaning products with the idea that you WILL clean more frequently and/or better.  You may even have something very similar or that would work just as well in you cabinet right now while you are scoping out the cleaning products isle at Wal-Mart.  Raise your hand if you are totally sucked in by new cleaning products that come out because you think that by buying them, you might actually use them all up...because you actually cleaned something several times with it.  My hand is raised...both times.  I just got one of those Scrubbing Bubbles stick-onto-the-inside-of-yer-potty gel thingys.  You've seen 'em.  Who knows if they really work?  I sure don't.  I think teaching my almost 3 year old, who has been potty trained for a YEAR, to flush the potty more often.  Then maybe I'd have a cleaner one for longer.  Hmm.

I also got a tub of Swiffer mop pads.  They have a new scent (or new since I've bought a new tub).  It's called "Citrus & Light."  What exactly does "Light" smell like?  Maybe the smell of your fingers sizzling on a hot light bulb that just burned out as you try to change it?  Maybe the wonderful smell of a match that has just been lit?  Maybe the surface of the sun?  At least the surface of the sun has no weird bacteria or other stuff that would be growing on my bathroom and kitchen floors.  

A Three Year Old...

Anna is quickly becoming a three year old.  By that I mean, well, uncensored and lacking a brain filter.  Yesterday we were at Target.  I was standing with Nana as she looked at some things and Anna was standing next to me...not in the cart.  I noticed that she noticed a man and a woman walking towards us far down one of the big center isles.  The man had an eye patch.  A, for real, eye patch.  You know the ones... His was black.  I could see out of the corner of my eye that they were closing in on us as I watched Anna's every move.  As soon as I saw that she was about to raise her arm over her head and point at the man with her index finger just as he passed us, I swooped down and covered her mouth as tight as I could while still allowing air to enter and escape her nose.  A very loud, but very muffled, "MOMMY, THAT MAN IS A PIRATE!!" came out of her mouth.  The man was intense in his conversation with the woman he was with, but passed by us so closely that I felt my hair move as he walked by.  I thought, "Phew!", and I'm sure he gets that all the time from other toddlers.  I'm sure he either saw me cover her mouth and/or heard her muffled observation.  

Still, there's no way I will be able to watch that closely and be able to cover her mouth when she says whatever comes into her mind all the time.  I've tried to tell her that if she needs to tell me something about something or someone she sees, then it needs to be in her quiet voice.  I don't want to teach her to talk about people behind their back, but I also don't want her to yell something that's incredibly hurtful and her not even realize it.

(Anna didn't draw this pirate picture, got it off of google images.)

I went "shopping."

I think I'm learning Photoshop completely backwards.  I've learned some really advanced stuff (advanced stuff in my opinion at least), and have been pretty overwhelmed at times.  But I haven't just sat down and messed with different "elementary" things.  Sometimes I really don't know what I'm doing when I do it or even why it happens.  But yesterday while the kids were at "school", I had a chance to get a little caught up on some photography.  After getting a few things done that were on the list, I "shopped" a little with a couple of images.  Again, these are pretty easy things to do, but I'm just learning them.  I haven't even scraped the surface on the things that Photoshop can do.  It's endless.

A Lesson in Nature.

Anna was sorting her fruit snacks that she was having for brunch this morning and she was telling me, or whoever was listening, where the different fruits grew.  She would say, "Diss one grows on a vine.  Diss one grows on a tree.  And diss grows in da fridgerator."  ...as she pointed to the strawberries.

Vampires that like the sunlight.

Again, something not so great is the result of something really great.  Our 8 inches of rain brought some clever friends who seem to be multiplying by the trillions each day.  You can't even stand outside for more than a few seconds without getting swarmed by these little monsters.  We had a cookout at some friends' house last night and were eaten alive.  We all had on layers of Deep Woods Off and I even sprayed Grey with some "Skin so soft" Off.  The mosquitos didn't seem to care a bit and LOVED Grey's sweetness.  :)  The poor kid has 6 HUGE bites, and 4 of them are on his head.  I've given him some Benadryl so maybe the swelling and redness will subside.  He looks so sad.  I got Anna some "princess" band-aids yesterday and she has 3 or 4 of them covering her worst bites.  We also have even more of those fake looking mosquitoes.  They don't bite (I don't think) but they sort of look like the real thing...a little smaller I think.  I put up Anna's ginormous Cinderella tent yesterday and within about 30 minutes, the entire ceiling was covered in those little bugs.  Gag.  Is there anything else I can do for these bite on the kids?

They've changed a bit.

Anna at about 2 weeks old.

Anna at about 6 months old.

Grey at about 2 weeks.

Grey at about 6 months.  Wow.

The moon...

I was swinging Anna on a swing at a friends when she said in a hopeless voice, "Mommy, I want to go higher than the MOON!"

The verdict is in.

We will be getting a trampoline for Anna for her birthday.  And definitely NOT this one.  HA!  I have been feverishly (I mean, off and on) looking for the perfect one.  I am looking at 12ft tramps with an overlapping enclosure.  I'd rather have the overlap than the zipper or clips for extra safety.  And you know that little  "frequent flyer" needs it.  I think I've found a separate set (a separate tramp and separate enclosure) that will run me a little over $450.  Believe me, they don't make one that's cheap that has an overlapping enclosure.  We will be taking "donations" from family members now.  :)  All who "donate" will receive a free trampoline lesson from Anna herself!  You can't miss that!

If anyone has seen a better deal with an overlapping enclosure, PLEASE let me know!

A show of hands.

Raise your hand if you are addicted to The Pioneer Woman.

Anna's fashion project.

Every now and then, Anna will decided to "dress" Grey.  It usually isn't something extravagant.  She normally puts something on him that's simple...or just easy for her to put on him.  While I was neglecting my kids by sitting on the computer post processing photos one day, I decided to check on the oddly quiet duo.  When I came into the "wood room" (living room), as Anna calls it just because she can't say her 'L's...and made up her own name for it, I saw Grey playing in his "circle of fun" (aka the excersaucer).  Anna said, "Mommy, Grey NEED to wear dat hat."  Kelly, do you recognize this?  It's the hat from an "Incredible Hulk" Halloween costume.  Fitting I thought.  And just another day for Grey...

Little-Bitty Big Kid.

Anna and Daddy went for their nightly ritual of riding her bike.  As she peddled away she said, "Hey Mommy, put Grey in the stroller and c'mom!"  Not a bad idea, I thought.  So I loaded the slobbery kid in the stroller and we were off to try to catch the speed racer.  We went the opposite way and met them around the block.  Anna has really become quite the cyclist.  I always get a little nervous when I take Grey out and we walk with Daddy as she rides.  She rides so fast.  The fast part isn't what I'm concerned about, it's the riding fast and coming up to a turn or crosswalk.  She knows exactly what to do.  She either hits the breaks and makes a nice black mark on the sidewalk (which she is very proud of), or makes the turn like a pro.  She was riding as we chased her down the sidewalk and I said, "She looks like such a big kid!  A little-bitty big kid!"  My husband said, "Yep, and she acts like a little-bitty big kid too."  Then she disappeared around the corner.  We caught up to her.  

She's so funny on that bike.  Daddy has taught her how to stand up and peddle hard and to keep peddling and hop up on (very short) curbs.  It's just funny to see her act like she's like 7 years old, but she's just so little...not even 3...but almost!

Football!

I thought this was great.  I took it from across the stadium.

She's looking just above the camera, of course...but smiling!

This is the way she looked for the first half...sucking on that straw.  That coke was huge.

mmmmm....coke.

She's the only excited one in the stands!

Anna, Daddy, and I went to a college football game this weekend.  We had a great time and were surprised Anna stayed until we were ready to leave...which ended up being close to the end of the game.  She hadn't ever been to a big sporting event so we weren't sure how she's act.  Only a few minutes into the first quarter, she was a little whiney and was ready to go home.  I had to give her some Benadryl before we left for the game and knew that it may make her tired.  So to offset the side effects, we got a HUGE coke (well, mainly because I wanted it) and let her have some (most) of it.  She doesn't ever get coke and we thought it was fine this one time.  She bounced back very quickly.  She didn't watch that much of the game and was looking for the horse, the band, and the cheerleaders most of the time.  Here are some fun things she said during the game:

"Where are the singing men?" (the band)

"Is that big man in the black clothes going to help the little men in the black clothes?"

"Did that horse poop?"

"They have to get the ball ALL the way down that way on the green floor?"

"Is that horse taking a nap?"

"Mommy, that boy's funny red hair matches his shirt!"

Miss Morbid.

Anna has been a little obsessed death lately.  Weird, I know.  Very.  She likes to kill bugs and watch them twitch as they die, tells me that her cheese stick is "dead" when she smashes it and pushes it hard down onto her plate.  Today we had to take a shirt back to Old Navy.  Of course the girl had to potty as soon as we got inside.  So I drug her hopping, then hanging, then twirling body to the bathroom.  When we got there, there was someone in there already.  She asked the usual, speaking WAY too loud for everyone to hear, questions about who and what that person was doing in there.  Then she looked up and asked, "What's that say on that sign?", pointing to the "Women" sign.  I told her what it said and then she asked, "What's that picture on there?"  I said that it was a picture of a girl.  She looked at me with a rather disturbing, content look and said, "It's a dead girl."

Unnatural Habitat.

This is the view just beyond our front yard and across the street.  This is a dumpster that was on the opposite side of the "lake" by the playground, which is about a quarter of a mile away.  The playground, as well as several streets and houses, are underwater or flooded.  These (there are three of them) were victims of the flood as well.  They were picked and carried around the lake and this one has now run aground.  What a nice, comforting view...  HA!  I'm sure it will take a while for things to dry out enough for them to come get them and take them back the their home.  The ducks have enjoyed them.

Please excuse the horrible resolution of this photo.  iPhoto, I believe, is still Satan.  But I have found all the photos I thought I lost.  Unfortunately they have been saved at a very low quality.  My friend, Andrew, saved the day...once again.

iPhoto is Satan.

For some reason I have, all of a sudden, lost several months of pictures in my iPhoto library.  I was uploading some shots I took of the flood yesterday and saw that some of the pictures from another day came up as ones that were not yet uploaded.  Hmm.  Funny thing is that I uploaded all of those yesterday.  I looked at my library and am MISSING a TON of pictures.  Like thousands of pictures.  We have some from when Grey was born and little after, but I'm missing all the ones I've taken after that.  I have all of my "clients" photos since they are stored in another place, but none of my own.  I have no idea what to do.  Do any of your Mac users have any suggestions?  I've been working a lot with Illustrator and Photoshop at the same time, would that have overloaded something?  I'm beyond frustrated and stressed out that I'm missing so many good things!

Rain, rain...

It's raining.  REALLY RAINING.  Not just a shower...an entire day of rain.  Those of you know that around "these parts" it doesn't happen that often.  But 8 INCHES in ONE day is pretty ridiculous.  We live near a "lake", or maybe I should call it a storm water detention reservoir, as the sign says.  And when we bought the house last fall, we went back and forth with the insurance and mortgage people about flood insurance.  We wouldn't be able to afford the house if we were required to get floor insurance.  We were pumped when we found out that we were on a suitable elevation that didn't require it.  But as I look outside at the rising waters across the street, maybe we should've thought differently.  Sand bags anyone?

A fence post: Part 2

The latest "conversation":

Anna:  Mommy, is it going to start rainin' again?

Me: It might.  It has been raining lots today.

Anna:  It's not!

Me: It has rained a lot....and sometimes it stops, then it starts again.

Anna: Nu-Uh.... Mommy, where is the button to make the rain start?

Me: There's no button.  The rain falls from the sky...from the clouds.

Anna: NO it doesn't.  

Me: Yep, it does.

Anna: Mommy, is the rain made of water?

Me: Yes.

Anna: No, IT'S JUICE!

Me: Nope, sorry to disappoint...but it's water.

Anna: Nu-Uhhh.

A fence post...

Anna has decided that arguing with everything I say is the best thing yet.  She'll ask me a question about something, whether it's the color of something, what something is, what the something does...  It doesn't matter at all what she asks.  She will almost always argue with my answer.  She asks, "Mommy, where we going?"  I say, "We're going to the store."  She says, "We're going to the Jenni's house."  I say, "Nope, the store." She says, "Nope, to Jenni's house."  Back and forth...   I guess she just likes the "conversation."

If you didn't see it...

...on the Shuttermouth blog, here's one that's pretty cute.  This is Will.

A Trial Run...

Tomorrow we are doing a photo shoot for a good friend that is coming into town.  The forecast shows rain all day long, but we only have a small window of time to do them.  I set up a spot in my house just to see how the light was working and used Grey as my subject.  It's an infant/toddler session so he was a good one to work with.  We won't have the wood floor or baseboards in the shoot..I'll figure that one out when/if we really use my kitchen for the real thing.  :)

Birthday Party!

Blakely opens her gift from us, a Fancy Nancy book and some candy necklaces.  Anna is enjoying her cupcake decorating masterpiece.
 

Anna went to her first real life birthday party this weekend.  She got an invitation in the mail and was SO excited.  It was a party for two birthdays, Caroline and Blakely....Anna's "best friends."  They were both turning four and have birthdays that are two days apart (I think).  All of Anna's friends were there.  She had lots of fun playing dress-up, getting her toenails painted, and decorating her own cupcake.

Sweet Caroline.  Anna KNOWS that all I need her to do is look at the camera.

Grey is gettin' some love.

Dressed like Cinderella and getting the "royal" treatment, a pedicure.

Blakely acting cool at the end of the table as we sing to her.

I just liked this shot...

"Soccer Practice"

The other morning Anna was in her room playing when she finally came into the living room looking like this.  She said, "Mommy, I'm ready to go to soccer practice.  It's just o'er der." (pointing outside somewhere).  The cousins have an indoor soccer facility where they play all their indoor games and it is very close to our house.  She's been with them a couple of times and has figured out the attire required to play.  Sort of...  She thinks she's set! ...except for maybe some shorts and shoes.  She looks a little more like a volleyball player in that outfit.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

We have a 6 month old...who looks at everyone inquisitively with his head cocked to one side.

...who grabs anything in sight.

...who loves chewing on his vibrating teether thing, his bottle of infant Tylenol, and blocks with see-thru sides.

...and who LOVES his fingers, especially when eating "real" food.

"Cracker"

I let Anna watch a short movie this afternoon.  She picked out the "Barbie Swan Lake" movie (thanks Catherine and Meredith...).  As it played through the previews, we saw a trailer (sp?) for another Barbie movie, Barbie: The Nutcracker.  Anna got super excited even though she's seen that preview a few times already and said, "Look MOMMY!  Barbie's a CRACKER!"

SickO: Part 2

We missed the SECOND day of school too.  Sad.  Anna was doing well yesterday until about lunchtime, then the whining and fever hit once again.  I drugged her up and sent her to bed.  She was good after about an hour of watching The Lion King, and was up and around again.  I thought she would be fine by the next day, but after playing soccer, hide-n-go-seek, and riding her bike with Daddy last night, the fever was back.  So, no school this morning.  It stinks since we've already paid for these days for both kids and we won't get the money back.  The PDO director told me to go ahead and bring Grey today, but I told her that since I'd have to take Anna up there to drop off Grey, and she wouldn't get to stay, that there may be a meltdown.  I didn't mention school to her today just so she wouldn't be sad about not going.  So next Tuesday will be our official FIRST day of school...hopefully.  And my official FIRST day off in a while. 

A GREAT new blog.

Want one more blog to put on your list of things to check on the computer today?  Here's one that is VERY  worth clicking on:

The Pioneer Woman

>credits go to Deborah and Shonda (I think).

The lake.

A sleepy ride.  It was about all the sleep she got the whole time.

Grey in his "floatation device."  Anna is wondering where the sun went.
 
I got lucky on this one.

 

She's as high as she looks!

We had one last dose of summer at Grandpa's house.   Everyone rode on the boat and Anna, Daddy, and I even rode on the tube.  Grey rode with us (in the boat) illegally, but was in his "floatation device" (the Bumbo) most of the time.  Grandpa and I were joking while Anna and Daddy rode for the first time on the tube about how fast he needed to go.  He was going about 25 mph.  We pulled the tube in the boat and read that the max speed recommended for "children" was 15 mph, and 20 mph for adults.  HA!  We never flipped, but came very close a couple of times.  We had two VERY tired kids at the end of day two.

I should have "shopped" my legs to make them more tan!

A lazy morning on the porch.

The pretty, green water.

Two VERY tired kids.