Saturday, December 29, 2007

Alex is a little nutty!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


This was him on Christmas evening. He has decided that he can walk up and down the stairs just like big people. He's not so good at it, but he is good at making us laugh!!!

On a side note, the kids are both sick today. Alex started just after midnight. He came downstairs, but was very quiet and acted like he wanted to go back to sleep. We headed to bed where he continued to look sleepy, but wouldn't let himself. I decided to try a bottle and he tossed his cookies while it was warming up. I let him have a small amount of the bottle thinking it was a fluke. Nope, he threw up until his stomach was empty and had the dry heaves after that for awhile. I was up with him most of the night.

Max woke up this morning and said he didn't feel good. Ended up having the big D. While sitting on the toilet he announced that his mouth hurt. Not sure what that means, but he proceeded to jump off the toilet and turn around to throw up. Sorry for all the visuals, but if I had to deal with it, so do the rest of you ;). Anyway, Alex seems to be much better this morning. He's keeping water down now and has eaten a few crackers and cheerios. He has also been napping for almost 2 hours. Max on the other hand has been dry heaving most of the morning since I won't let him eat or drink anything. His few sips of water came back up. He just announced a little bit ago that he feels better so I let him have half a cup of water and one cheerio. That was all he wanted. He hasn't been sick since. He is currently drinking a small amount of apple juice so we'll see how that goes. I heard from my friend Debbie that her kids had it and it was short lived. My fingers are crossed that it will be for us too. I had a ton of clothes to wash, but now I have additional towels and sheets from Alex. I do not want to have to do more.

Especially with grandma and grandpa coming this afternoon. They decided to brave the sickness, but that means lots of work for me before they get here. I changed the sheets on two beds and I have two loads of laundry done. So not how I wanted to spend my day off, but hopefully I can enjoy tomorrow.

Oh, speaking of work, I have some news on that front to. Working the 11pm to 11:30am shift has been killing me. Especially when I work 3 in a row. By the time I pick the boys up and feed them, it's time for Alex to go to bed. I'm not seeing enough of them and I'm cranky because I'm not getting enough sleep. The few mornings that I was sent home at 7am due to it being slow were awesome! I got plenty of sleep and was still able to pick them up by 4. Tim and I talked it over and decided that the only downside to me switching to the 8 hour shift was having to be at work an extra 3 nights out of 14. He can deal with it and I know I can. I talked to my boss yesterday and she said no problem! She's actually hired quite a few 11-11 people lately and now seems to have too many people on from 7am -11am so this helps her out too. Instead of having me wait until February, which I thought she would do because January's schedule is already done, she changed January's schedule for me. I had to pick up a few shifts here and there, but now I'm out at 7:30am everyday! Woohoo!! It also means that when they ask me to stay over it won't be such a big deal because I can work 12s, just not all the time! Much better than being asked to work 16!

Ok, enough rambling out of me for the morning. I changed my page again and I'm planning on changing the picture too. Just not sure what I want to do yet. Probably something simple until I get the right pictures. I'm looking for some excitement with the kids in the new year so I want my blog to reflect that. Have a great weekend and I'm sure I'll be back soon!

Edited to add a picture of my sickos!! They both took early naps and seem to be much better now. No one has thrown up in a few hours.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Mark this date on your calendars!!

Alex at 14 months and 1 day finally has a tooth!!!! He was "kissing" me earlier and I thought I felt something sharp so I stuck my finger in there. Sure enough on the bottom there is one sharp tooth just barely poking through. I can't see it because he won't open his mouth, but it's there alright. Hopefully the rest will follow suit quickly. I want it get them all over with.

Just had to share our news. Since I posted earlier I don't have much to talk about right now and Max wants me to play Candy Land Castle with him.

Talk to you soon!

Where is my motivation?

So, I left work early yesterday morning because it was so slow. I only had to patients all night. Then last night I got the dreaded call that I was being mandated off. GRRR! I am happy to be home, don't let my frustration fool you, but I also need the money. I can't use my vacation time until I've been there 90 days and that doesn't happen until January 8th. Oh well! But, as I should have been at work last night, I was sleeping instead. That was after sleeping from 9 until 4 yesterday during the day. After helping get Tim and the boys out the door this morning, I fell asleep on the couch and slept for about 3 hours. Yikes! I feel so lazy. I made up for it by picking up the Christmas leftover mess upstairs though. I would still like to do some laundry and change the sheets. Not sure I'll get to that though.

I've also been thinking, since I'm home, why haven't I posted Christmas pictures here yet? I keep coming to see if anyone is reading, but posting was just not on my priority list. Guilt is getting the best of me though. Check out our other website for all the pictures and videos, but here are some highlights!

Max finding his pile of toys

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Alex making a mad dash for his new dinosaurs!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Probably his favorite gift!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

A disaster in the making

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The only present he opened...Max had to do the rest

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

He had to get his new jammies on ASAP

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

OOPS! You caught me! This was after we told Max no candy until after breakfast!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The aftermath

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Alex's favorite toy

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Max discovering his stocking

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

From last week, Max's birthday present from Uncle Bill

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Alex does not like walking in the snow

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Tim and Alex outside

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Tim's attempt at a snowman. The snow did not want to stick together

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Sorry for the overload, but I guess that's what happens when I get behind. There are plenty more videos and tons more pictures from the last week or so. Don't forget to check them out! I have a video from last night of Alex riding his 4 wheeler but it's still on the camera. He hasn't figured out steering, but he got pressing the button down pretty quick. I'll get that on here eventually. This summer outside is going to be so much fun though!

Have a great day and I'm sure I'll be back in the next few days!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas

PhotobucketPhotobucket

I hope everyone is having safe and happy holidays! We had a nice Christmas Eve. Mostly just hung around the house and did nothing, but we had leftover homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch and then the kids went down for a nap. Tim had to run out shopping so while he did that I played on the computer and caught up on my soap operas. When Max got up I let him go get Alli so we could give her her Christmas present. While she was here we let each of the boys open one gift so that kept at least Max happy for awhile. Now they can't wait until tomorrow. If only Max would go to bed, tomorrow would come that much sooner. Haha!

I've been sick with a head cold for the last two weeks. It has gotten much worse the last few days and feels like it's spreading to my chest. I've been hacking up my lungs from the sinus crap! Blech! I hate being sick. I took some Musinex because my mom said my dad swears by it. Don't know if I had Tim get the wrong kind, but all it did was make me cough more until I ended up sick. However, I got smart and decided that not coughing was more important than sleep and took one of my allergy pills. It's what kept me up all night last night, but at least I did cough. I'm going on about 14 hours since Thursday morning when I woke up. So not cool, but thanks to the effects of the allergy meds, I'm able to stay awake. I just crave sleeping knowing that tomorrow night starts another string of 3.

Ugh, sorry for venting about feeling crappy on Christmas eve! I should be full of happy thoughts. My happy thought for the moment is that Max's TV show is almost over and then he's heading to bed. After that I get to play Santa! Not sure if it's Max's age or what, but I'm really excited about it this year. Tim is asleep in the chair next to me so I'm not sure I'll get much help, but that's ok. I can't wait to get up with them in the morning. I promise to take lots of pictures.

Our only plans are a nice breakfast and a roast for dinner. I'll probably nap as much as I can since I do go in to work tomorrow night, but otherwise we'll just let the kids play with their new stuff and chill out around the house. I'm sure I'll be back here to post again.

Enough rambling out of me for tonight. Have a great holiday!!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

2 down 1 to go!

Working 3 nights in a row stinks!! I was so tired this morning I'm not sure how I made it through the last 4 hours, but I did. I came home and had lunch with Max and Tim (Alex was asleep) and then went to bed. I think I slept until 6, but not without a few interruptions. I know Max laid with me for awhile and watched cartoons, and at one point Tim tried to get Alex to nap with me but he just kept wanting "mama" and wouldn't go to sleep. I'm ready for another nap but I have to leave in an hour so I figured I would come here instead.

Alli has been amazing the last two days. She took the boys to her house on Friday evening to help them make Christmas presents for Tim and I. I can't wait til Christmas to open them. Then today I know she was here for awhile and Max went over to play with her again. I think he would go crazy not having me around all day if it weren't for her! She truly is a blessing!

The house is a disaster right now and I know I should be cleaning it, but I'm probably not going to do it til tomorrow. I'm also really behind in laundry, but again, I'm off Christmas eve so that'll be laundry day.

Ok, so as I'm sitting here typing this, Alex just came downstairs. He has a dirty diaper so obviously isn't going to sleep like that. How do my boys both always have to go at bedtime?? Crazy kids. Now he's clean, but playing with toys again. Late naps are not a good thing.

I guess I should go put him to bed now. I don't have much to talk about anyway, just rambling away. I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow, but if not, in the next few days!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

My favorite show is coming back!!



No time to post today. I'm getting daycare gifts done and today is my last chance since I work the next 3 nights. Max also has his 4 year well check at 4 so I'm picking them up early. Somehow I need to fit in some sleep because the little monsters woke me up at 6 this morning. I foresee an early bedtime in their future!

I should be back in a few days if not sooner!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

More pictures and videos if you can stand them ;)

These are for the last two weeks. I have been having problems uploading my pictures, which I just realized today was due to the fact that my password was typed in incorrectly. Anyway, hope you enjoy! We've been having some fun times!

Max's new kitchen! His birthday present from us


Alex with grandma and grandpa


Max blowing out his candles


Alex eating cake with uncle Bill and Crystal


Playing air hockey with Jake


Hanging out with "My friend, Chuck"


The Papas with their grandbabies


Alex in the snow


Max in the snow


Check out the video link for some cute videos too!! Most of them are too big to post on here. There are some of Alex being crazy, Max playing with his new monster truck from Uncle Bill, in the snow, and at Chuck E Cheeses.

Sorry to overload but there were so many really good ones. There are tons more on the other site as well. We discovered that Alex doesn't much like playing in the snow. He would if it was warm, but he cant' walk well in his snowsuit and that's the part he hates. He did like going down the slide though and we got tons of laughs out of him with that. There is also a tiny little snowman that Tim built and Max "decorated."

Hope you enjoy and leave some comments!! I love reading them but only Debbie and Dawn ever have anything to say! I see you all reading so I know you are here ;)

Monday, December 17, 2007

Busy weekend behind us!

So, we drove to MI on Friday evening. That went pretty well. We took Nana and Papa out for their anniversary dinner and then home for bed. Saturday morning to Grandma and Grandpa's and then home at noon so we could head down to Detroit. Again, the boys did well in the car and it helped that Uncle Rusty was with us. Max was a little crazy at the party, but Alex did great and I really enjoyed spending time with cousins that I rarely ever see. Bill and Crystal came too which was nice. I like that I get to see them more often since moving back to the midwest.

Saturday evening we drove home in the beginnings of the snow storm. Not too bad, but not fun either. Sunday we woke to probably 8" of snow. I decided there was no way I was canceling Max's party which was good because almost everyone showed anyway. The best part was that it was nice and slow at Chuck E Cheese so we got a big table and the kids had a blast. I think the adults did too which was nice. Dawn, Joe and the boys made it which was a nice treat for me! I get to "talk" to Dawn everyday, but actually seeing her is so much better!! Now if I can just get to see Debbie since we live so close. I'm hoping for when the holidays die down.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. We had a great time at CEC and Max got some great presents. Uncle Bill completely spoiled him and he can't wait to drive his truck, but he loved all of his little gifts as well. He couldn't wait to get all the packages open to show daddy when we got home last night. I think we left MI around 4:15 and made it home by 8:30. Not too shabby considering the roads were still in the process of being cleared and I had to stop once to get dinner for the kids.

Now that the weekend rush is over all I want to do is sleep, but I have a list of things a mile long to do. Gifts need to be wrapped, the house needs to be cleaned and I promised cupcakes for Max's birthday to daycare but never picked them up so I'm doing that this afternoon! January can't come soon enough, but at the same time, I love this time of year and the magic of seeing it through the kids eyes is awesome.

I guess I should find some m0tivation and get to work. I'll be back though because I have lots of pictures from this weekend! Once I get them on the computer I'll be back to post a few!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

I'm trying to use some restraint

But I couldn't help but post this one as well! George is amazing and I love love love this song!



If you are ever bored, go to Youtube and search Rockapella! They really are amazing!

I could seriously listen to this forever



I love Rockapella for those of you who live under a rock and didn't know ;) It has been ages since I've been to a concert and I'm having some serious withdrawals. They are going to be near Indianapolis on Saturday and I would give my right arm to go but we have our family holiday party. If I'm not mistake they are right near Chicago soon too. Maybe I even have the locations mixed up by date, but I am seriously needing a fix. My dearest friend Donna always calls me from shows when she goes so I can listen to at least one song live, but it's nothing like being there. I check out youtube once in awhile to watch videos there as well, but like I said, nothing like being there live.

So, if anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas, I need plane tickets to a in the near future concert, tickets to the show, and a babysitter for the kids so I can go. Haha, I'm not asking for too much am I?

This is a totally pointless blog entry, but I had to do it!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Busy times ahead!

Max's birthday is Sunday, we have a family Christmas party in Detroit on Saturday, and then Christmas is just around the corner. I feel like I'm never going to get everything done. Just now I finished weeding through the toys and trying to get rid of a bunch so we have room when the new batch shows up. There is probably more I could have gotten rid of, but Tim is going to have to take a turn. I'm terrible at getting rid of stuff.

We are heading to MI on Friday without Tim since he has to work all weekend. My mom's family is having a party on Saturday so we are going to that and then Chuck E Cheese on Sunday for Max's birthday. I have to work Monday night so we will probably leave Sunday around bedtime so I can get some sleep on Monday.

Later today a guy from the Consumer Product Safety Commission is coming over to pick up some paperwork on Alex's hospital stay, test a few of the AquaDots and make sure he has the whole story. Not sure if anything will happen with the investigation but I feel better knowing they are looking into it.

I have to finish my photo calendar soon because it's Christmas gifts for the grandma's and I also need to get my holiday cards out. I started them, but I just keep putting it off and I feel like if I don't do it soon they won't get out until next year.

Hmm, what else? The DVD player in the van died. I thought the disk just froze so I took it out and put in a new one. Even now, two weeks later, any time you turn one of the monitors on it shows the frozen image from the first DVD that froze. Not a good thing since it's not even in the player anymore. Fortunately grandma had no idea what to get the boys so she's fronting the money so I can go get a new one. I'll probably pick it up later today because I want to get it installed before our drive to MI. It's miserable when they don't have something to keep them occupied for that long. Especially when I'm by myself.

I'm also putting together Max's birthday present today. I figured since we'll be gone all weekend and won't be home until after bedtime on his actual birthday I should give him a few days to enjoy it now. Especially before I get busier at work and won't be around to play with him much. I anticipate the doctors will start scheduling inductions soon since it's so close to the end of the year. Gotta get that extra tax return before December 31st you know ;). Anyway, we got him a big Step 2 kitchen from Sams Club. He's going to love it. He and Alex both always want to be in the kitchen with Tim when he's cooking. They like to help, lick spoons, and make a mess. Now they can do that in their own space!!

Ok, have to run. The CPSC guy will be here in an hour and I want to get more done before he comes! Have a great night!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

I had a friend ask

Me to elaborate on Max's Santa list because she had a hard time reading it on the picture. I am guessing that might happen on several computers so here it is....

Dear Santa,

I have been a good boy this year. Could you please bring me a toy race car, movies, a candy land game, candy and some new clothes. And also a monster.

Love Max

The funny thing is, he already has candy land, it just happens to be the Dora version. He also has enough clothes to keep 12 kids warm so I don't know what's up with that, other than he probably saw an outfit he really liked or something. He's really into Cars right now so maybe he wants the jacket which is pictured on his letter. He has since asked for a Smart Cycle so we decided to get him that. I found it for $15 cheaper than anywhere else at Meijer yesterday plus I had a 10% off coupon so I couldn't turn it down. Otherwise he's just getting a bunch of smaller stuff this year. With the move and living in separate states for so long we ran up some bills we want to pay off before we run up anymore.

He is getting a HUGE kitchen for his birthday though and I am super excited to give him that! Looks like we are going to be in MI on his birthday so I have to decide if he'll get it before or after.

K, kids are fighting over a book so I have to run!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Pics and a Video (If I can get it to work)

Here are some pictures that I've taken recently of the boys!

At Tim's work Christmas party

Max and Alli playing in the snow


Rosie cheeks from the cold!

Max's dear Santa letter! He has half the stuff he's asking for. Cracked us up!

And here are a few videos! The first is Alex feeding himself PB&J with a fork and the second is him being silly in the kitchen. Let me know if the second one doesn't work as it was a HUGE file and I had to doctor it. Not sure how it's going to turn out, but it's a cute video so my fingers are crossed


Thursday, December 6, 2007

Behind again, who's surprised?

I have been so tired this last week. I'm finally working nights, and I'm also finally on my own. No more preceptor at work. I'm doing pretty good too and I think I'll get used to it eventually. I'm having a hard time getting used to only getting 4 hours of sleep on the days I work though. 12 hours is a long shift to get through when I'm dead tired.

The boys are loving the snow we got here. Max talks about it all the time. He wants to go outside and eat it. I didn't take him out last night because there was no one to watch Alex, but I'm hoping Tim can get home early enough tonight to do so. The nice thing about the midwest, as opposed to VA, is that the snow is still around a few days later. I sent Max to preschool with his snowpants and boots today so hopefully they'll take him outside too.

Funny thing happened this morning. On the way to school Max told me tomorrow is his birthday. I explained that it wasn't, and he still has a few days left. When we got there, his teacher wished him a happy birthday. I guess he told her yesterday that "tomorrow" is my birthday. Silly boy! I wonder when the concept of time become reality for him. He seems to get it sometimes, but then other times everything was "from yesterday" even if it was 6 months ago. Oh well.

Alex appears to finally be teething actively. He is sleeping like crap. Up several times a night crying and not seeming to want anything. Daycare said he isn't sleeping great there either, but I think part of it is moving to a new room where there is only one nap and he's still needing two. I think he is sleep deprived and because of that his sleep gets worse instead of better. Hopefully we can fix that soon or Tim and I might just go insane from being up so much.

I have lots of errands to run today so I need to get moving. As soon as I have anything new to report, I'll be back. I do have some pictures from last weekend to share, but they are still on the camera. I also plan to get my holiday cards out soon! Need to get them done today!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

I love/hate this time of year!

Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. Especially since having kids. And I love the winter with its cold snowy days outside and drinking warm cocoa inside. But, this time of year also means that my "baby" is another year older. He'll be 4 in two weeks and it seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.

This year is so much more fun than it has been in the past. He is really getting into the Christmas spirit. We've been watching the specials on TV and he even talked me into buying the Christmas Classics DVD set. He loves Frosty the best, but he'll watch all of them over and over. He keeps asking about Santa, loves the tree, and is just excited about everything in general. Last week when we had a day off together, Tim and I did some browsing for toys. This is probably the first time that we are picking things out together and he isn't just as surprised as the kids when the gifts are open. It makes it more of a family event this way and I love it.

As for snow, we had some on Thanksgiving that was gorgeous, but nothing since then. We've had the chance for snow all week, but still nothing. Now I hear that my Michigan and Illinois friends are expecting several inches. I haven't seen the forecast for here, but I'm hoping we are in for the same. All 4 of us have new winter boots, the kids have hats and mittens, and we bought them a sled. I'm ready to get out there and have some fun. At least for as long as Alex can tolerate the cold. I'm sure I'll have to drag Max and Tim back inside kicking and screaming. But I so look forward to the first time that they come in from the snow and I can have a nice cup of hot chocolate waiting for them. And maybe a fire in the fireplace if I can figure out how to light it. It's gas, so it shouldn't be all that hard.

I have to work tonight so tomorrow I'm sure I'll be tired, but Tim's Christmas party at work is at 2pm. We are taking the boys and I'm sure they'll love it. I know Max loved the kids holiday party at the hotel in Virginia. Not sure what kind of set up they have here, but its nice that we can go as a family.

Ok, that's about all I've got for now, and Max wants lunch so I should be on my way. I'll be back soon though!