Rollergator continued...

Here's a video of Blythe and Ashley rollerskating

Rollergator

Yesterday was Black Friday. Although I did have to work, I headed out in the morning to Walmart for the doorbuster deals. But I wasn't one of the ones there at 5am. I went at about 8:30. I still got basically everything I went out to get. I parked probably closer than I normally do and didn't have to wait in line to check out. Sounds like all signs of a bad economy. Anyway, I got one thing for Ethan and several things for Blythe. While the kids were napping I unloaded the bags and threw them in my closet.

This morning Blythe came and woke us up. She went with me to the bathroom so I could put my contacts in and get dressed. She darted out to get the stool she always gets...in my closet. I realized quickly and thank goodness the lights were off, but she still said, "LEGOS!" My quick wit thinking rang in and I responded with, "Uh..no...those aren't legos...get out of there...you can't go in there". So, note to self - hide gifts better than that or they will surely never believe in Santa!

Today Braden and his dad went to the Hokie football game, so Braden's mom (Grams), Blythe, Ethan, and I went to Adventure World so Blythe could try rollerskating (or rollergator as Blythe says). We met up with Blythe's friend Ashley, and her mom Amy and brothers Luke and Matt. In addition to rollerskating, they have moon bouncers, so those were a big hit. The girls were not so good at rollerskating to say the least. But it was hilarious! Grams got some video footage, so when I get a chance to try downloading from her camera, I'll post it.

I think she probably just needs more practice...indoors...on carpet. So I'm considering getting her some for Christmas.

Here's a pic of Ethan sitting in a moon bouncer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!

My in-laws are in town, so we've been hanging out each evening, which is why I haven't posted much this week. It's been an eventful week, though not really blog-worthy (I can't think of any funny stories). Tuesday night we went out to eat and since it was "kids eat free", I got a meal for Ethan too. So that's his first kids meal. The boy is an eater though. I think he definitely ate more than his sister. And apparently he really likes pizza (unlike his sister). Now that he can pretty much eat anything, he can have most of the lunch menu at day care and thus I don't have to buy him much food these days.

Last night we took the kids to the Hokie basketball game. They got free tickets from the Hokie Kids Club, so it's not like it was a waste that we only stayed until halftime. They both did well, though Blythe was begging for popcorn the whole time and her begging got her nowhere.

I bought a paper today to search the Black Friday ads and it looks like Walmart is where it's at (at least for the things I need to buy). I'm considering waking up quite early tomorrow to go. Not to beat out the other shoppers really, but more because I actually have to work tomorrow, so might as well get it done early.

Anyway, we're eating around 5pm today. Had to pick a time that both kids would be awake, which doesn't leave a lot of options. We're having Turducken, which I've never had, but it looks delicious! I'm in charge of rolls and pumpkin pie. A little bit ago Blythe and I made banana bread too. Blythe sat on the counter to help and for every ingredient she said, "I wanna dump it BY MYSELF!" She did well, unlike the other times she has tried where she dumps in half and the other half ends up on the counter.

The wine bar

Our "weekend" project was to install a wine bar where this leaning desk used to be between our kitchen and living room.

Turned out to be more than a weekend project, as we didn't finish completely. It was quite the project! I had enlisted the help of my dad to help where needed (i.e. do the whole thing). He and my mom drove up on Saturday morning so my mom could watch the kids while my dad and I worked. While they were driving up, I took the kids with me to Lowe's to get a few supplies so we would be ready.

Ethan was a little tired, so normally I would have been a bit concerned about a meltdown, but I put both kids in the shopping cart "car" and they seemed happy. One of the steering wheels was missing, so Blythe insisted she had to drive, thus Princess Blythe got her way, and poor Ethan had to sit there with no steering wheel. Blythe wouldn't look at me for a picture, so this is the best I could get on my cell phone.

All was good until I really had to use the restroom. I had to get the kids out of the cart and take them with me. Fortunately we got into the handicap stall, but as soon as I put Ethan down he did his whole back-arching and crying routine (just too tired). So I had to hold him on my lap while I went. And he was crying the whole time. And Blythe was in there too yelling "Mommy, I have to poop!....MOMMY I HAVE TO POOP!" All the while I'm holding a screaming baby and telling Blythe she has to wait til I'm done. So that was loads of fun. There were 2 positives: 1. the bathroom in Lowe's is new and clean, 2. no one else was in there.

So we started on the project on Saturday and worked all day and then woke up Sunday morning and worked all day. We didn't quite finish. Still need to secure the countertop, add the crown molding, the shoe molding, and the lower cabinet hardware. But it looks beautiful! A great addition to the house that will definitely free up some cabinet space for me in the kitchen. Here's a pic (and instead of telling Blythe to say "cheese", we told her to show Gommy her teeth).

Flu shots

Both kids were CRANKY this morning! I expected it from Blythe. She's always cranky whenever Daddy is out of town. She'll be okay for a day or 2 and then after that she's so moody. She kept saying "I want Daddy" even though she knows he's out of town.

And Ethan didn't like his new shoes. I bought him new shoes at Target yesterday. They are "almost shoes". One step up from the Robeez he's been wearing, but softer and more flexible than regular shoes. They're the first "almost real" shoes he's ever worn and he didn't like them so much. Kept trying to take them off. And he was cranky too.

So what better time to go get flu shots?!

We've been meaning to go and since it's Ethan's first flu shot we wanted to go to the doctor's office instead of Walgreens or CVS or Kroger. Since it's 20-some-odd degrees out, snowing, and blowing 30 mph, I figured the doctor's office might not be as crowded as normal. Though not that fun to load and unload the kids twice in all that.

We had Blythe go first so she wouldn't know what to expect. It worked. She didn't know what to expect. though she did cry. A lot.

Ethan did well. Cried too of course, but not too much. Poor guy though. He has to get another one in 30 days (the very first time you get a flu shot, you have to get it twice). Oh and between now and then, he has to go for his 9 month appointment and get more shots.

Anyway, no one is here that I can complain to, so I'll complain on my blog. My arm hurts from my flu shot. Anyone feel bad for me?

Shake your booty

Blythe's favorite color has always been yellow. She likes yellow EVERYTHING. When she colors, she always reaches for the yellow crayon first. Until recently. Now for some reason she likes to color with the black crayon. Here's an example:

I wonder if I should be worried that she'll turn into an angry goth teenager one day. Let's hope not.

She's also obsessed with her "booty" recently. I'm not quite sure where she learned this behavior. I honestly think she may have made it up herself and then people laugh at her when she does it, so it encourages her and she keeps doing it. This is just a brief clip of some of what she does.

Today at day care they wrote in her log that she "likes to show her classmates how she can shake her booty and she says "What are you talkin about Willis" a lot...she says she learned it from her Daddy". Ha ha!

First snow of the season

To my surprise this morning we woke up to a white covering outside...snow. I'm not a big fan of snow and cold weather and especially not in November, but we do live in the mountains of Virginia, so there you go. It was blowing pretty hard and quite miserable, but I made Braden and the kids get together for a photo of the first snow of the season.

I don't think it was technically Ethan's first experience with snow. Since he was born March 7, we likely had snow sometime in March and/or April, though I don't think he went anywhere near it. Anyway, it's melted now (even though the high today was only 29 degrees, it did somehow melt). Good riddens and don't come back until around Christmas time when we're ready to go snow tubing.

This morning Ethan woke up around 6:45. I laid in bed for a while wishing I could sleep a little longer, but knowing that eventually his "talking" would turn into fussing then all out crying, so I might as well take this opportunity to get dressed, brush my hair, put on a little makeup and look presentable. While I was doing this, I heard Blythe in her bathroom. I heard her lift and close the toilet seat (presumably to empty the small potty contents in). Then I heard the sink running (probably washing out the small potty). Then I figured she'd come in to my room to see what I was doing and to tell me she went potty. But she didn't. I thought, "Oh, God, she spilled some of the pee pee or poopy on the floor and is now attempting to clean it up herself with God knows what. Well, I might as well finish putting on my makeup (since it's really my only opportunity) and then go in there and check. So I did and Blythe wasn't in the bathroom. And there was no mess. Clean as a whistle. And she had gone back to bed.

I simply cannot believe that less than 8 months ago I was changing her diapers and now she gets out of bed, goes potty, cleans it, then goes back to bed. When I went in there later she said she got up to go poop. So that makes it even more amazing because there was no sign of it anywhere (and I even checked the bathtub).

She's been a good little helper recently. She brought in 4 or 5 bags of groceries the other day. She's picking up her toys much better. She can match and fold socks.

Makes me happy.

Penants

We went to Doug and Lynette's this weekend for their baby shower and it was lots of fun! They had all of their immediate family there and several friends and I think they made out pretty well on the gifts. They've been lucky too and have already gotten lots of clothing and toy hand-me-downs. We weren't that lucky with the first, though now we have the hand-me-downs coming on Ethan and it's great!

Anyway, today while we were in Durham we went to the mall for a bit so Blythe could get some energy out at the mall playground and so Braden could buy some penants. A while ago he had the idea to get a penant for Ethan at each college he visited so one day Ethan could hang them in his room and tell his friends his Dad got all of those for him. Since Braden's a college coach, he goes to a lot of different schools. Well, "one day" became right away as soon as Braden started collecting them. I fought him on it, because I don't want them in the nursery. I'm fine with putting them up when he moves to a big boy room, but for now he is a baby and the nursery is decorated with cute farm animals and it just doesn't go with college penants. Maybe it's me holding on to his babyhood. I want him to be a baby forever. Well not forever, but I'm not ready for him to be a big boy right now.

All that said, I lost the battle. But it was only a few, so not too bad. We still didn't have NC State (both of our alma mater), so today he wanted to get NC State, Duke, UNC, and Wake Forest. The guys went to the sports store at the mall and they came back with like 15 of them. So much for getting them while visiting each school. And so much for having only a few in the nursery. I just want my baby nursery to be for babies. 8 months old is too young to be a big boy!

Watcha talkin about Willis?

Last night we had 3 of Braden's swimmers over for dinner. Blythe was kind of shy at first, even though one of her favorite swimmers, Megan, was over (Blythe has even named her favorite baby doll 'Megan'). Anyway, they must have put Speed in the fruit salad they brought over because she was a maniac after dinner. Either that or it had something to do with the m&m's and chocolate cake she had after dinner. She was literally running laps around the living room while singing and screaming as loud as possible. I tried to give Ethan his bottle during this time, but he would just sit there with his mouth open watching Blythe wondering, "what is going on??" She was singing every song she knew, getting out almost all of her toys, "fixing" everyone's hair, and generally just having a good time.

One thing she was saying a lot was "Watcha talkin about Willis?", which Daddy had taught her. It started way back when Blythe was a baby and we took this picture, which Daddy said it looked like she was saying "Watcha talkin about Willis?"

I got her on video this morning saying it:

Tomorrow we're headed to Durham for Doug and Lynette's baby shower. Should be fun times and we're looking forward to it!

Cinnamon Toast

Blythe and Ethan (and me) all love Braden's cinnamon toast. Here's how he makes it:
On a cookie sheet, lay out the bread slices. Top them with a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Then cut small slices of stick butter or margarine and lay on top of the cinnamon/sugar. Broil on high for a couple of minutes.

When Blythe sees Braden cutting the butter slices, she tells him "I don't want that on mine". So he tells her it's cheese and asks her if she wants cheese on hers and then she says "yes". A cinnamon/sugar/cheese mixture doesn't sound too good to me (unless it's cream cheese). Anyway, it's a regular breakfast item at our house and Ethan seems to love the cinnamon/sugary, buttery goodness.

Ethan finally seems to be feeling a little better today. No telling how many clothing items he has ruined in the last few days. I haven't washed them yet...and yes, I know that the longer I wait the chances increase that they are permanently ruined. I'm just glad he's starting to seem normal again. Yesterday he fell off the bed. I put him in the middle of the guest room bed, where he is always content to sit and play with toys while I left the room for a second to grab his clothes off the dryer. Apparently he made a beeline for the edge of the bed because within seconds of me leaving I heard a loud boom...and then crying. Oops. Fortunately it's carpet and the bed isn't that high, so I think the damage is minimal, but that was my "bad mom of the day" award for yesterday. I gave him a little Tylenol in case he had a headache later. Blythe was right at the end of the bed too. She didn't save him from falling. I wouldn't be surprised if she actually pulled him off. Now that he's crawling and getting into "her" stuff, she doesn't think twice about pushing him or knocking him over. I keep trying to tell her that he's trying to learn how to stand and she needs to be careful, but I don't think she cares.

Ethan's first plane ride

Ethan took his first plane ride this weekend. I took him to Dallas for the weekend for my grandmother's 80th birthday. It was a surprise party so I couldn't blog about going beforehand because it would have ruined the surprise. Blythe didn't go...she stayed home with Daddy. Too expensive to take everyone (Ethan flies free sitting on my lap). Anyway, Ethan did great traveling! He slept on the plane most of the way there and most of the way back. Blythe never did that. She would never sleep on the plane. I attribute some of Ethan's sleepiness though to a bug he seems to have. It's making him not want to eat much, vomit a couple of times, and have many "blowouts". Fortunately he did none of that on the plane rides. Here we are on the plane:

(and my mom took the picture, so I didn't ask some stranger next to me to take a photo of me).

The surprise party was a success (was a total surprise) and I got to see a lot of my family that I haven't seen in a long time. So it was a fun trip.

As I said before, Blythe stayed home with Daddy. I picked her up from day care today and the teachers said she had crazy hair this morning. Daddy said he was able to dry it however he wanted since the "hairdryer nazi" wasn't here. She was also very talkative today. From the moment I picked her up to when she went to bed she wouldn't stop talking. And her favorite word of the day was "Ya". "Blythe, did you have a good day at school?" "Ya" "Blythe, did you miss Mommy and Ethan?" "Ya". "Blythe, did you smash pumpkins with Daddy?" "Ya" "Blythe, are you Canadian?" "Ya".

It was a fun trip, but I am glad to be home. I haven't slept past 5:10am the past 3 mornings, so I'm praying I get to sleep until at least 6:30 tomorrow (which is actually only 5:30 Dallas time).

Breaking the law

I had to break the law this morning. Ethan and Blythe woke up at 6:30 this morning and a quick 2 hours later we were finally ready to head out to day care. I went to put Ethan in the car and there was no car seat. Braden picked up the kids yesterday so he had Ethan's seat. And Braden was at work. I had 2 options:
1. Call Braden and wait for him to come home to bring me the seat
2. Put Ethan in Blythe's seat and buckle Blythe in a regular seat

I went for option 2 since the trip is 1.5 miles long. Ethan loved sitting forward since he could see the TV! He's still too young to make that permanent though. Blythe initially couldn't see the TV, so I had to stop and move her to another seat. Did I mention the commute is less than 2 miles? Yes, we are THAT dependent on the TV in the car.

Tonight Braden and I are going to the Hokie football game. We actually found a babysitter (they're hard to come by during game times), though it'll be her first time babysitting for us so hopefully all works out. That means I need to clean the house today, and figure out what the kids will do for dinner, and get all their bedtime stuff out...oh, the work involved just to get a night out!

Ethan's car

Ethan's favorite thing to do these days is ride on his car. He gets so excited when you put him on it and SO upset when you take him off. Normally we push him around the house chasing the dogs, but here he is going back and forth in front of the mirror (he really loves to watch himself ride).

And here is Blythe's most recent obsession:

How a 2 year old finds out about a movie I didn't even know existed (and knows about it the day it comes out), I have yet to figure out. This movie came out last Tuesday and ever since then all I've heard is "Tingabell" this and "Tingabell" that. Initially I said maybe Santa Claus would bring it and then I realized Christmas is over 7 weeks away. So I caved and bought it for her. She's watched it twice already. Pop that sucker in and we don't hear from Blythe for 1.25 hours. Anyway, I guess we've hit the beginning of the effect of advertising (or peer pressure or whatever) on the wants/needs of a child. And me caving and buying probably didn't help matters. Oh well.

The kids did finally approach an almost normal wake up time this morning. Both were about 6:45am...phew!

Fall Back

"Fall Back" does not equal one extra hour of sleep for those with young children. Fall Back means a regular night of sleep on the night of Fall Back. Then 1 less hour of sleep each night for the next 2-3 nights. Yep - even after pretending we were on Sunday's schedule on Saturday (meaning eating an hour later, napping an hour later, bath an hour later, bedtime an hour later), both kids still woke up at the same time, which equated to 5:45am. Ugh! Well, maybe after the full day of an hour ahead then they would get it. Fortunately Blythe did, but Ethan was up at 5:30 this morning. Not good! Actually Blythe was up at 11:30pm and came to our room to say she had a bad dream. Braden is still trying to convince me that we should close her door at night as if that might deter her from coming to our room. At least in the middle of the night we're able to take her right back to her room and she's fine. For now.

Tomorrow is election day, so make sure you go vote. Here's how Blythe feels about the subject. It's weird because we didn't prompt her to say any of this :)

Duck Pond

We had 2 very tired children tonight. We had to keep them up as late as possible since we "Fall Back" tonight. Blythe was running into walls as she was going to her room...that's how tired she was. Let's hope it doesn't backfire and they still wake up at 5:45 tomorrow morning.




Anyway, today was a day of firsts for Blythe:


1. First time peeing in the woods.


The weather was spectacular so we went to the Duck Pond (a pond on campus with lots of ducks). We forgot to have Blythe go potty before we left. She had to go, so Daddy took her in the woods. There were no issues, but Daddy made sure to let her know she can't do that very often. Last thing we need is her dropping her pants to go outside unexpectantly (like our next door neighbor's son....but that's another story). Anyway, after we ate lunch we were able to feed the ducks. They can get quite aggressive there. Take a look:

2. First time cleaning out her own potty.

Braden was at practice this morning so it was just me and the kids. I had a work project go bad last night, so I got a phone call while Blythe was pooping on her potty. She kept screaming at me telling me she was done. I kept telling her to hold on. Then I had to run downstairs to look something up and by the time I got upstairs she was standing at the sink rinsing out her potty. I had visions of poop in the sink, but I looked and there was none. I looked in the toilet ("big potty") and there it was. She had dumped it in the big potty and then rinsed it in the sink and didn't get any on the floor. I was so proud!

Until tonight when we went to fill up the bath tub and there were poop pieces in there.

3. First time wearing Mommy's boots.

I had them upstairs from my cow girl costume. She put them on and then thought the tutu would add a nice touch.

And this doesn't really go with the rest of the blog, but I think it is funny. Blythe's negotiating "skills". She has actually been eating more of the things we have for dinner these days, albeit reluctantly. Halfway through dinner she wants to get down to go play, so we have to do a little negotiating. Goes something like this:

Daddy: Blythe, you can get down and go play if you take 3 more bites

Blythe: No, five

Daddy: How 'bout six?

Blythe: Seven

Daddy: Okay, fine. Seven more bites and you can go play.