Wednesday, November 30

A Little Lost

Bummer. I finally made myself do it this morning. I reluctantly turned my old computer over to Best Buy for a little tune up. I have been procrastinating trusting my computer in the hands of another for the better part of this year but the warranty expires in a few weeks so it was time to be a grown up and give it up.

Unfortunately, turning a computer over for service is nothing like turning a car over. No rentals available. So I will be giving it a go on George's work computer which I feel so awkward using. I am a Mac girl through and through. I am not sure how picture uploading will work on this guy but hopefully I can keep up the blogging (with photos) until my bff returns home in an estimated 3-4 weeks.

This Dell and I have gotta make this work because the Christmas tree just arrived and the girls are over the top, and Jude turns five months tomorrow. Hope to have a post with photos up soon.

Sunday, November 27

A Week of Family

Family has just left the premises and I am sitting here counting my blessings because we really have the best family, all around. I am still buzzing, unable to come down from it all. The hustle in the house was perfect, meals cooked, kids screaming and running around, and now it is just so quiet. 


Thanksgiving, birthday, and now taking the day to celebrate our love (anniversary). We don't mess around, gotta get it all in in one weekend. Beyond thankful for it all.
 Momma's boy
Momma's boy
Thanksgiving dinner.
Johnny cakes, oh yes.
The cousins

Saturday, November 19

Priorities

Hot chocolate with marshmallows. One of the many perks of living in a place where the temperature drops below seventy degrees. 
And also the thing she confessed to her teacher she was most thankful for in life, just above puzzles, playing with her sister, and Mommy fixing her hair. 


I'm just relieved I made the list. Rupunzel's mommy has been redeemed.

Friday, November 18

I Can't Believe I am Writing This

As I dropped Nyah off to school one morning last week, her teacher rushed out and started picking through her hair with absolutely no warning. I was a little taken aback but before I had time to ask questions she broke the news to me. Another student's mother had just called and revealed that the boy had... lice. 


As in head lice. 


As in bugs crawling around in his hair and reproducing. So she was checking each kid before letting them enter school and I thought that was that. Thought she was nippin' the bugs in the butt and avoiding an epidemic of grossness.


Jump to yesterday afternoon, as we entered school to pick Nyah up. The teacher breezed by me and nonchalantly just happened to mention to me that she wasn't sure if I knew, but five kids now have lice now, no big deal. 

Um, what? FIVE?! Which at this point means bugs must live in the school and could be taking up residence on us as we speak? 


I immediately wanted to grab my children, pick them up under my arms and run the heck out of there. I am not sure what shocked me more, the thought of my children having lice or the fact that she had no doubt we would have to cut the girls' hair if they contracted the little problem.
I'm itching as I type this.


Can you even imagine if either of our girls got lice? Do you realize how much hair they have? I mean, it's a struggle to comb Elsa's hair with a regular comb, let alone a fine tooth one. When I say that washing hair and combing night is a big in our house, I mean its a huge, has to be scheduled in advanced and takes a good hour of our lives to complete. Combing our girls' hair with a fine tooth comb would result in WWIII & WWIV up in here and is not a battle I ever,ever want to wage. 
So I don't know if I should take this as a sign that the over priced preschool is dirty or just roll with it as one of those things that happens in schools and a part of childhood. And for the record, the school is great and I am sure the teacher is living out one of her greatest nightmares that could ever occur in her sweet school. 


The teachers explained that this was the first "outbreak" in nine years and the best thing to do to avoid the problems was to put product in the girls' hair because the bugs do not like dirty hair. And at that point, even the teachers and the assistants were in the restroom showing off their sprays and products to me which they apply each morning as some sort of defence. 


So I just said a little thank you to myself, as we bolted out of there, that our girls have the hair they do which can't be washed more than once a week (you think we're weird now) unless really dirty. Because I am convinced Nyah's only defense against infestation (I don't even like that word) are her dirty curls. 


And you better believe she left for school this morning with her hair completely loaded with lotion, serum, oil and hairspray in hopes that she doesn't bring any little friends home. And I thought we just moved away from all the bugs I could ever want in my life.
She asked what I was doing as I obsessively drenched her hair in any and everything I could get my hands on. My reply was something along the lines of, "Bugs. Don't want to let the bugs get in your hair." I can't wait to see how she repeats this information as her imagination runs wild with it all day.

And I can't believe I am writing this because our family that is en route to our house for the holidays suddenly just realized that something has come up and they won't be able to make it. 


Seriously guys, no issues here. I promise. Please, don't turn around.

Thursday, November 17

Our ERGObaby

I am sure I have mentioned this before, but I have to dedicate an entire post to one of our favorite baby item. Because it is our life saver. Something we use daily, and is absolutely an item I can't do without.

So here is how our love affair with the ERGObaby carrier began. I first heard of the carrier in St. Croix when my brother and sister in law were staying with us. We wanted to take a challenging hike to some tidal pools and we wanted to take Ny along, naturally. Since she was just over year old, the thought of her walking just wasn't an option. 


At the time, I only had a sling to carry Ny in and honestly my neck would hurt after extensive use, especially with a heavy babe. So my bro suggested the ERGO, his friend had used one and loved it. I did my research and forgot about it. 


Then when Elsie joined our party, Nan gave us an ERGO as a baby gift and that was it. We were hooked.


From dropping Nyah off to school, to competing a grocery run with three kids (one being a little on the rebellious side which speaking of, I broke my promise to myself and tried a store run with her yesterday and it was a success. Thank you Doritos!), to enjoying a family walk, or an afternoon in the park, the ERGO is part of us and allows us to be comfortably hands free to keep up with the spunky ones in our lives. 


And there is really nothing better than having your most treasured close to your heart.
And George even wears Jude, though the adjustments have to be let way out to account for his XL shoulders, it still fits us both perfectly. Women old and young just can't help themselves when they see Jude so close to George and have to stop and aww all over our guys. 

George overheard the woman behind the pastry counter profess to her co worker the other day that, she was, "Going to make her husband wear her baby like that," which might be the best we've heard yet. Hopefully George is contributing to the idea that baby wearing is the cool thing to do as a guy.

Giving Elsa an easy lift while wearing Jude.
My mom even took to the ERGO this summer in Indiana and often requested if she could "wear" Jude when we were out together. Its just so comfortable, even with a big heavy dude like Jude. 


But most importantly, the little buddy is so cozy and in pure bliss when he is in his perch and sleep usually greets him within an instant.
Our Ergo is old (but still going strong) and now that I am checking out the website, I see many updates have been made which is great. Here is our ERGO, minus the stylish fabric. Our ERGO has a grey hood.


The ERGO. Jude's automatic mode of transport when we are out and about and a baby item we absolutely couldn't live without. Thanks ERGO!



Click here and here to see some of our other must have baby items.

*Follow up: Click HERE to see photo of George with Jude in ERGO.

Wednesday, November 16

Convect

I was a little skeptical about this convection oven thing but we've worked out our differences in temperatures and stuff and I guess you could say we are quickly becoming friends. 


Because convection makes me look good, real good, and is the reason I was able serve this slice of apple pie without the entire slice falling apart or the crust sticking to the pie plate. A clean slice of homemade pie is a definite first for me (and George). 
So God bless the convection oven, because I will take all the help I can get in the ol' kitchen.

Tuesday, November 15

Re-Giving

I guess I would call myself the opposite of a hoarder. I actually probably give away/throw out a little too much out at times but a lack of clutter just feels so good to me. With that being said, after returning from the islands and moving this go around, I naturally came across a ton of my old stuff


It seems I have secretly been stashing things away my entire life in anticipation of something. That something was always a mystery but I remembering saving little things here and there, knowing always that saving items that meant something to me was a must. Luckily, my Mom graciously let me store all my extra stuff in a closet at her house all this time. Now that I finally have a home of my own (on the mainland) I am finally able to get it all out and give her her closet back. 

And then over the weekend as I was unpacking some more stuff and doing a little more decorating in Nyah's room, I suddenly realized that this is what I have been saving each little trinket for. This is it, this is the now, this is the time, this is my life. This is what I have been saving for. 


So I did it. I busted the dolls out, which I was given as a girl from my great grandmother, Katharyn, some twenty-one years ago, and gave them to my girls. Finally, a new life for the dolls, out of the boxes, out of the closet and to their new rightful owners. It just felt so right.
Most of the stuff like old jewelry I will save until they are older and more responsible but it just feels so good to know that all of my hidden treasures finally have a home with my children. The children I must have been waiting for.


My girls love the dolls and especially Angelina, from Mexico, who just happens to carry her own pinata.
I did a little research to see if I could find some more dolls from this collection for Nyah and Elsa but I guess they were discontinued. So no Caribbean girl or African girl to add to the collection but maybe we can find something similar someday.

Monday, November 14

Baby Blues

With the variable temps around here, hints of fall, and the upcoming holidays, it just seemed like it was time. Time to put some blue jeans on our baby boy. 
And he immediately looked about eighteen. 
Eighteen, dressed, and ready to kiss us goodbye and head out the door to hang with friends, or whatever it is guys do. 

Definitely not the look I was going for. 
Please note, his shirt is not dirty. I just slipped it over his head prior to taking these photos. This shirt is just evidence of how intensely he is teething. The drool, it's coming in buckets.
And in all matters concerning dressing a boy, well maybe its because I have been drowning in pink, princess, and purple dresses for so long, but I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of the boyness of this guy and the clothing that comes with it.  
There is just so much to love about our little buddy. I could seriously go on and on...

Wednesday, November 9

Life Lately

Writing has been a struggle these days since Jude and Elsie are kind of staggering their naps. Nap time is my usually my blog time so they are really cramping my style. Only kidding. I will gladly give up staring at a computer screen to kissing their scrumptious cheeks any day.


Elsa has been rocking the potty training business. She totally gets it and will go anytime we prompt her to go. She has accomplished both number one and two, TMI, I know. When we intrusively ask Nyah if she is going number 1 or 2, she usually replies screams that, "I am going number three!" Elsa hasn't accomplished any number threes yet though I am not sure what that exactly is nor do I think I want to know. 


Yesterday I made a personal vow to myself and all of society that under no circumstances will I ever take Elsa into a store, ever again. I may be exaggerating but the scale of her tantrums lately are massive and always during check out when there are plenty of people around to pass judgement. She can really let the tantrums rip, the sweet girl, and I know it is something I am doing wrong like hungry, tired, misunderstood but solving the problem is never that easy when trying to pay and make a swift exit from a store. 


The tantrums are such a drastic change from her normal cheerful personality that it is almost comical. So we will take a deep breath and ride out the challenges the second year of life inevitably bring. And by the way, it is definitely easier the second go around since we know what to expect because with Nyah I was like, WOAH.
The girls and I got out alone this weekend. Jude hung back with George while we went to lunch and a birthday party, like the old days. I am not a big fan of pumping so I had zero stores of milk in the freezer. George tried to sneak a little formula in on Jude and the boy would not have it. I guess Jude made a sour face and would have absolutely nothing to do with the bottle business the rest of the day. 


They survived and I learned that our boy is no fool, might be a little picky, and that I must prepare if I ever want to get out without him again, which I don't want to do very often. The girls on the other hand had a ball with the bottle. They just couldn't figure out what the heck it was doing in our house and of course Elsa had to give it a try.
Nyah is still into seriously sporting the accesories, and no, I did not dress them alike on this day. That was all Nyah's doing since she dresses herself now and is open to absolutely no suggestions. She is as sweet as ever and is looking forward to the holidays and is enjoying learning to write her name. The majority of her days after school are spent convincing me why I should let her eat more Halloween candy. George won't let me throw it away, he says they need to have some joy in life, so I am trying to be patient. 

We are still busy around the house working on bigger projects now like a fence, blinds for our massive windows (yikes), and logs for our fireplaces. We will have visitors for both upcoming holidays so we are so are getting so excited to really break this place in.
So now I am going to focus my energy on trying to figure out how to cook a turkey before the babes wake up because I have no clue. Depending on my Mother in Law for this one.
Sending love to everyone!

Monday, November 7

Flea Market Find

Our latest (or first, ever) flea market find.
A nice little pair of Mexican paintings.

Five dollars each, with frame. The woman we bought them from wasn't sure where the paintings came from or who painted them, she bought them from a woman and was reselling them, obviously trying to make a dolla, but she did her best to convince us we needed these two in our lives. How did she know?


Here they are all trimmed up and reframed (in new frames).
Perfectly gender neutral (which is totally my thing now), wonderfully colorful, and the perfect scenes to spark a kids imagination.
I found Nyah staring into the paintings the other day and that is when we found the pinata. So appropriate since the pinata is the highlight of all our celebrations.
Can't wait to place them in their new home- the hallway leading into the kids rooms. Gotta love cheap art.

Thursday, November 3

Size

We had our first big pediatrician visit in Louisiana earlier this week.  A lot of the usual check up stuff with the dreaded shots, weight, height, etc. I was excited to get Elsa's height and weight because this will be her last appointment before she turns the big 2-0, just kidding, she will only be two. 


When Nyah turned two, I read up that this was the best age to determine what height the child will be as an adult. There are several formulas out there but I guess by doubling the child's height at the age of two is a good indicator of what their adult height will be. Another is based on parents heights, and the child's height and weight at a given age. An awesome and fun little parenting tool, I thought, like guessing the sex of a child during pregnancy by peeing on Draino (have you heard of that one), or doing the Chinese gender chart


Well, the height predictor put Nyah at a statuesque 5'9".  And as I ignorantly put Elsa's information in yesterday, excited for the results of my child's future, it predicted her at the age of eighteen to be...5'3". And though I think these are both beyond the perfect heights for our girls, I couldn't help but feel sort of jipped, robbed of the sheer delight it must bring to watch your child physically grow and grow into the beautiful adult they are meant to be, without knowing when they are finished. 
I immediately wanted to give the information back, permanently erase it from my memory because what business of mine is it to predict these girls futures? I mean what if this info lingers in the back of my mind and then the next thing you know I'm steering Nyah away from becoming a jokey and Elsa from being a runway model or volleyball star because I don't want them to get let down or fail? I don't want to let the knowledge of their predicted heights allow me to put them in a box in life because that is a total rip off and completely unfair to my children because the journey and dealing with and overcoming let downs and failures is what building character is all about.


So thanks to modern medicine and simple math equations we are now being way too invasive in our childrens' lives. I mean we look at them in the womb, their protected little world without second thought. And though the medical benefits way outweigh the weirdness of it all, hello, we are not supposed to see in there.


So does height matter in either direction? I think absolutely not, especially in matters that deal with the brain because knowledge is power and that is what I hope they depend on most in life. And as George so kindly reminded me, there are those that defy the odds in life each and every day. 
So wether I will be stretching up to kiss their beautiful cheeks or bending down a bit my heart will remain confident that these two girls will be capable of anything they set their minds on because on the inside, they are both giants.

Wednesday, November 2

Halloween Recap-Part II


And at one point during the pumpkin carving action, George and I finally looked around and realized we were the only ones actually doing any work.
Definitely holding out for Jude, maybe he will be a little more willing to getting down and dirty.

Tuesday, November 1

Halloween Recap

I will just get straight to the point. Breast or "milk" as they are referred to around here are a pretty big deal in this family. They are kind of the center of our universe since one kid or another seems to always be nursing. Nyah talks about my "milk", her "milk", and George's "milk" constantly and loves to reminisce on the days when she drank milk (though I don't think she actually remembers) and the days when Elsa did the same. Elsa just constantly has her hand down my shirt rubbing them, and well Jude, his 17 pound little self says it all. 


So when Nyah discovered The Little Mermaid in her stories this summer, she immediately fell in love with the nice sea shells covering Ariel's "milk" and has been planning her mermaid Halloween costume since. She often reminded us that she wants "these" (pointing to Ariel's sea shells). 
Am I worried about her fascination with this part of the body? Do I think she is growing up too soon? Absolutely not. I can see no better way for Nyah to learn about the female body and her body then by seeing it used for its ultimate purpose. In my mind, her fascination it is only natural.

And though the shells weren't quite like Ariel's, I think they worked perfectly for her. She wore the costume proudly the entire day, first to school then out on a hay ride trick or treating with her dad.
We were going to have another little mermaid but Elsa ditched the costume at the last minute but inherited a witch hat at some point in the night.
The girls really seemed to enjoy their first Louisiana Halloween. Little guy and I hung back and handed out candy but he passed out about an hour in. Maybe next year.
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