Pre-Halloween Fun

I love holidays and one of the ones that I have always loved is Halloween. Okay, okay. So it's not really a holiday. And if you ask Josh, then it's just a day that the candy companies got together and said, "Hey, let's make this day a holiday so we can get rich." But whatever. I love it. It's only been once or twice in my life that I haven't dressed up as something ridiculous. I've been everything from a sumo wrestler to a witch, to a headless dude who carried his head around on a platter (a personal best). Ahhh...memories. Of course, my days of freaky-scary costumes are being put on hold until the kiddos can handle a little scariness. But I love it, regardless. So you might ask, what am I going as this year? Oh...you shall see...(insert sly laughter here)...you shall see. Until then, I'll let you all see what our little household has been up to since then.

Every year I try to add one more thing to our decorations, but this year we are adding a disposable thing. It's three giant lawn spiders that you fill with leaves. The decor isn't complete yet. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve for the trick-or-treaters. And what with Josh's indefinite weekend, I'll be workin' on that tomorrow.

This is one of the spiders up close. Not bad for a buck-fifty, eh?

And that there on the chair is pumpkin man. I've had him for about three years, but this year might be his last. He's filled with newspaper and we had some pretty bad rain today sooo...he's probably gonna be a moldy pumpkin man after that.

Of course we have pumpkin carving to look forward to every year. And by 'we' I really mean just me. But the kids did try to do some of the gut removal. I'm proud to say that Abby was the most interested in this.

Wesley did pretty good too, but Alex wasn't really thrilled to get his hands dirty. Of all the things to be bothered by, he's not a fan of sticky hands. But he did try it at least once with a spoon. Of course you see the result of my efforts on the top picture of the blog. I wanted to do a scary one, but I did a friendly one for the kiddos.

And finally, we have the total accumulated construction paper collection. We ended up with quite a few things to decorate the kiddos' room. I must say that my education got a nice work out over the past couple of weeks (um, not). You can click on it to see it a bit larger if you want.

Overall it's been fun, but the real fun has yet to happen. Halloween is only two days away. I know it's a little sad, but I'm kinda pumped. Our family photo will be a gem. I'm making Josh dress up totally against his will. (evil laughter inserted here) Candy time, here we come!

50% Success

Potty training is going really well, I'm proud to say. As of today, Alex has been accident free and pee trained during the day. He's done great. He doesn't even ask for candy as his reward much at all anymore. Though, that might change shortly once the buckets of Halloween candy are sitting on a shelf with a large neon sign over it saying "YOU NEED CANDY". We are very proud of him. He doesn't have to be reminded to use the toilet at all when it come to peeing. So why am I calling this 50% success? One word. Poop. The kid won't poop on the potty for love nor money. Seriously. We've offered him praise and offered him rewards and he has only done it twice. Once for a really cheap $1.00 doctor's kit and once for three pieces of candy instead of two. But no other cheap dollar toys seem to amuse him enough to warrant a trip to the toilet. He is also not pee trained at night. He wakes up about 50% of the time dry. Of course, this isn't nearly enough to justify trying him with underwear at night. I figure that will come in it's own time. As for the pooping dilemma...if anyone out there has any fabulous suggestions, let me know. Leave comments. I'm all ears. I've tried mostly everything. Right now we are not letting him go to his 'safe' place to poop anymore (behind the couch). If he is going to wear a diaper we tell him he has to, at the very least, go in the bathroom. The next step, though I'm doubtful it will work, is to move him to the toilet with a diaper on. When I ask him why he won't go on the toilet, he says, "Because it's too hard, mom." Ugh...I'm hoping to move our success rate up to 80% soon. Until then, I'm just thrilled to decrease my diaper load by a good chunk.

Round 2: FIGHT!

No. This is not a blog about Alex and Abby's constant need to box when they steal each others toys. This is a joyous blog about Josh's work life. No. Wait a minute. Let me rephrase that. This a blog about Josh's LACK of work life. I didn't really blog about this the first time it happened, but seeing as it is starting to look like a regular occurrence in our lives, I might as well write it down in blogger history. Josh was laid off from his job..again. Exactly how many times can a person get laid off in a year before it enters the ridiculous category? Oh well. He got his pink slip from his first job of three years when they started having a lack of work due to economic woes. This was in September. He's a part of the union so they put him on the 'bench' and said they'd call him when they found him a new job. We prepared for the long black tunnel of joblessness, fully expecting him to be stuck at home until the union found him a job three weeks later. To our immense joy, he was only out of work for three days when they called and found him his next ex-job (that is what I am going to call all of his future job hirings from now on. It has a nice ring, don't you think?) So this new job has numerous employees and ended up coming with a mass influx of overtime. So we thought to ourselves "Woo-hoo! A permanent job!" Ah, but alas...we were wrong. Of course, it didn't make sense to me. This job came with a strange ironic twist. He was working at the building of the place he first got laid off from. Odd. But they kept him very busy. He came home every night very dirty and tired. There was one point at which he worked nearly 20 hours straight.

*sigh*

So last week, he went to work. Just like he always did. On Wednesday, they offered him 8 hours of overtime for Saturday. On Friday, they gave him his bright shiny pink slip. The reason? Lack of work due to economic woes. So I said, "What?!?" I mean, seriously folks...how can a job offer you eight hours of overtime and then drop you for lack of work? Apparently the overtime fell through and they kicked poor Josh to the curb...again. I feel bad for the poor guy. He is in that infamous place. You know the one...between a rock and hard place. He's not permitted to look for a job in his field (HVAC-heating and A/C) that is non-union or he'd suffer the consequences of losing his schooling that the union so graciously has paid for. (three years of school down the drain would not be good) They would also make us pay for all of the benefits he has accumulated including tuition and insurance. We would also lose our insurance. He's not even allowed to look for a job that is with the union because the union doesn't stand for it. They figure it is their job to find him a job and he just has to wait it out until they do. But if he finds another job not related to his field, then he wouldn't get to continue school either. He has to work in the field to get the hours required to continue school. I suppose that's what you get when you sign your life away to a union. Ugh...what a mess.

So here we are...back where we started. He's only been with this past ex-job for about 1 1/2 months. So I think I might have to add a 'How Many Times Josh Has Been Laid Off Counter"on my side bar. I have a feeling the numbers will keep going up. Until then, I say...let the days of unemployment start...again. Round 2: FIGHT!

Naturally

It's happened. The dreaded day that I was hoping wouldn't rear its ugly head for at least six more months, is upon us too soon. This morning, Abby decided that she would climb out of her crib. And to this I said, "WHAT?!?" Why do I seem so annoyed by this? Well...because she is only 18 months old!! Greaaaat. Honestly, I'm not surprised at all. This was about the time that Mr. Alex decided to do the same thing. I suppose I should just be thankful that she didn't attempt to do this two months ago. The part that annoys me so much, is the fact that I just recently got my nights back. Once I disposed of our nightly rocking chair episodes, and finally got both of the wee ones to sleep without my assistance, I got one to two extra hours every night where all I had to do was enjoy some personal time. I must say that I've been quite productive with those two hours. It's been lovely. Now I fear that she will merely do what her big brother did and climb out every time she gets the chance. I am just waiting for the tell-tale sounds of bare feet pitter pattering across the bathroom floor soon after saying good night. For now, I'm going to try and stretch the fading crib days out for another month. (though I seriously doubt it will last that long). I am going to place another crib mattress on the floor for safety reasons now. I don't want that late night run to the ER with a broken arm, if ya know what I mean. But my mom was nice enough to store Alex's old toddler bed until the day when we would need it again. She brought it back over as my 'just in case' back up. I have a feeling that we will soon be a non-crib family. Huh...for some reason I expected there to be a crib in the house for much longer. Strange to think it will forever go into storage after this. They really are babies for such a short time. I think I might miss it.

Phlog V: 3.0

It's Phlog time! I have some fun/cute pictures that I've wanted to put on the blog, but have yet to have a good blog subject to put them in. So I've decided to share them via phlog. I'm even slappin' a video on here for a good giggle.

Why is it that mom and dad's bed is so much more fun than their own?

Fun with bandannas.

Peekaboo kitty Logan.

Josh and the kids. Ever since baby Greta was born, the kids want to carry around their baby dolls in blankets.

Welcome home mantis! We'd like to think that the mass influx of adult praying mantids in our back yard are the grown up versions of the ones we saved back in June. We have seen quite a few in our back yard. This one was missing one of his praying legs. Poor little guy.

A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

My little man...too cute!

How To Burn Toddler Energy 101:

The Great Peanut Challenge Approaches

Three years ago, I would have banked on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches being a staple lunch in my house with kids. But after Alex developed his milk allergy, the allergist told me to avoid nuts in all forms until he was three. Actually, I could more accurately word that. She horrified me into believing that Alex getting peanuts, nuts, eggs, shellfish and milk would be a potentially deadly choice on my part until he turned at least three years old. He originally tested "positive" to eggs as well as the positive to milk. Please keep in mind that in the world of allergy testing, there are many false positives and inaccurate readings. Especially on the skin of an already sensitive skinned 6 month old. The egg allergy turned out to be a false positive. But we avoided it, nonetheless, until he was almost 18 months old. The nuts/peanuts were always a negative, but as a precaution for food allergic kids, we had to refrain. I was released by the doctor to try peanuts at the age of 2 1/2, but after seeing what a serious reaction to milk was like, I was too terrified to try it. I didn't want to spend my day/weekend in the ER. So I waited...and waited...and waited. And now, lo and behold...I have a three year old. At Alex and Abby's most recent well kid check up, the doc said it was time to give it a go. He told me to introduce both of them at the same time. With Abby having a zero allergy history, it would also be safe(r) for her.

So here I am...counting down the days until my great peanut challenge. I really don't enjoy the idea of being home by myself with two kids eating peanuts for the first time. One kid having a deadly reaction to milk was a disaster in itself. I can't fathom how scary it could be having two kids and dealing with that situation. Okay...so the likelihood of them having an allergy to peanuts is low just judging from the testing history (knock on wood), but still, I'd be more comfortable with Josh here. Two kids. Two adults. Better odds, ya know? Am I nervous? Unbelievably so! Will I chicken out once again and continue with soy-butter as a sandwich alternative? Chances seem to lean more towards that direction. But I hope I can get brave and just go for it. The first test will be a little peanut butter on the lip. One hour later, they will get their first taste of glorious peanut butter in the form of a pea-sized amount. Day two will be a teaspoon...day three a tablespoon...etc. I can feel my anxiety for the impending test building. "But Jessica," you ask, "don't you think you're overreacting just a tad?" Hmmm...yes. I'm sure I'm overreacting in a way. But after seeing your child slowly slipping away in his carseat as you are driving 90 MPH down the road trying to get to the nearest phone before he dies, can sorta put you on high alert for future food allergies. Ugh...wish me luck. Let the countdown to Saturday begin.

Alex's 3rd Birthday Bash!

Hmm...According to my hit counter on the bottom of this page, Quite a few people have been checking my blog today. I'd venture to guess that everyone is eagerly awaiting the birthday blog and the many pictures it has to offer. So without further ado, I give you the birthday blog.

Alex is officially three years old. Wow! Where the heck does time go? I can't believe I have a three year old already. The one thing that has made me realize that my baby is no longer my 'baby' boy is one of the presents he got. Ol' ma and pa decided it was time for him to branch out of the riding toy phase and give his pedaling days a try. So we coughed up the cash and got him his first bike. And boy howdy, does that kid love his bike. It's his new form of transportation to the post office and he is mastering that skill quite quickly. I suspect he will be trying new forms of dare devil tricks before I can say 'emergency room'. Here is is trying out his new wheels.

The party was a success, but it also made me realize that I am sooo finished with the full decked out parties. My stress level goes into the red zone and I spend two days recovering from the craziness. From now on, I'll be trading the invitations and birthday feast for phone calls and birthday cake. But, nonetheless, it was fun. We didn't have many people from my side of the gene pool show up, but nearly all of Josh's family came in from out of town. We enjoyed a nice lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixins and some fabulous birthday cupcakes and soy ice cream. The cupcakes were a hit...even with the fickle adults! We only had three left out of 24! I made an actual cake out of the left over batter for good measure though.





Alex made out like a bandit. Funny thing though. We started the group of kids out in the middle of this living room. But by the time the last presents were opened, they some how herded each other into the farthest corner of the room, behind the couch. No idea how that happened, but it was entertaining attempting to get pictures of it.

This is how Abby started out the party. She pretty much had this look on her face until the party guests faded into the wallpaper. She put on a good face for cake though, so that was nice. She's definitely her mama's girl. Always willing to smile for chocolate or sugar.

When the majority of the guests left for home, we spent the afternoon over at my parents house. My super awesome brother-in-law, drove 3 1/2 hours to bring his three girls to the party. Thanks Ben! You're awesome! And the girls were dead set on riding horses before they left. Alex was pretty excited to show off his cowboy genes (yes...I meant to spell it like that). He has a bit of his mama in him after all. Naturally, I forgot my camera for the horse rides, but my mother-in-law took some photos I hope to get copies of. It was a lot of fun. I'm so glad we have horses for this kind of thing.

The end of the day came and it was time to say goodbye to Josh's remaining family. Before they left, Alex got some good quality reading time in with Grandpa and some good play time with his cousins. It was overall, a wonderful day. The worst part, of course, was the dreaded cleanup. But that too came to an end. (Though I really think I could use a dishwasher in my future. Never had one of those glorious inventions...I hear they are nice.) Alex spent the evening playing with his new goodies and Abby (who, by the way, went the entire day w/o a nap...but was, oddly, in an exceptionally good mood for it) spent the evening being a little monkey and played with the remnants of the party cups and plates.

Thanks to everyone for the cards, cash, presents, and for coming to the party. It was so much fun and Alex thanks you as well for all the goodies.

Defining Pathetic

I shall now define the term 'Pathetic' for you.

Pathetic: Pathetic is when you send a message from Optimus Prime to your own cell phone so that you can feel like you are being called by an Autobot. Due to the fact that you are an obsessive movie fan who now loves Transformers, you spend the one minute phone call smiling and wonder if you should send it again so you can save it to your inbox. You then realize that you could also have a phone call from the Decepticon, Starscream, but feel as a fan that you can't betray the side of the Autobots that you have chosen to be loyal to. Pathetic? *sigh* I fear so.

But for the record, I also sent the message to a couple of my brothers and my dad. Wait a minute. Does that make it less or more pathetic?

Eh...who cares. Long live pathetic geeks!

AUTOBOTS RULE!!

My Education...Hard at Work.

Back in 2001, I graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in graphic design and illustration. I look back on my four and half years in college and remember learning a plethora of art based knowledge. A good chunk of that knowledge is useless now, due to the ever increasing numbers of computer programs and the outdated material that now plagues the back burners of my mind. Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm glad to have went to school (though at times I feel like it was a waste), and I am grateful that I got a good 4+ years of first hand experience utilizing my knowledge as a T-shirt designer after my graduation. Actually, I believe I learned more at my past job than I did in college itself.

But those days of using my vast knowledge of grahpic design and illustration is naught but a memory. I can still design and draw with the best of them, but I chose to give the work force up in exchange for becoming a stay-at-home mom. I'm happy to have the chance to do one of the most important jobs anyone can be responsible for. But then I realize that I have all of this bottled up artistic energy that I can't seem to find an outlet for. So where does my energy go? Hmmm...what to do...what to do...

Ah ha! Yes. It's perfect! I've found a way...

Construction paper spiders!

Yes...you read that right. I had the kids make spiders out of construction paper. I did the cutting (and the gluing for Abby). But Alex did his own gluing and they both decorated them with markers and crayons.

We hung them in their bedroom. But the creativity doesn't stop with spiders. Oh no...it gets better. The spiders are now joined by Frankensteins, Jack-o-lanterns, and soon to be ghosts and witches.

Eh...so it's not a top-notch t-shirt design or a fancy new logo. But the kids like it and they are proud to see them dangling from the ceiling in all their glory. I figure that I will change it up per season. Turkeys for Thanksgiving and Santa's and angels for Christmas. Yes folks. That's my education. Hard at work.

Fall Festival

This past weekend was my old home town's fall festival. And naturally, it was bitter cold and horrible weather for a parade. But it wouldn't truly be a fall festival if the weather wasn't totally crappy. I can't honestly remember a time when the weather was sunny and mildly warm. It is always inevitably raining or freakin' cold. So I tried to be the well prepared mom...

Bag for parade candy...check
Big warm coats...check
Fluffy hats for heads...check
Camera for blog photos...check
Two happy kids...check
Gloves to keep tiny fingers from freezing...doh!

Yeah. So it wasn't a total success. But the kids had a blast catching the constant rain of candy. I swear that October through December we have enough candy to eat one piece an hour (per person) every single day. We don't eat that much, so the candy never disappears. Not good for my already big butt. So I successfully passed off two-thirds of the candy to unsuspecting friends and family. My theory is that if I spread the sugar, I won't feel as bad eating it.

The parade wasn't nearly as long as it normally is. I suspect that half of the participants dropped out when they saw the weather outlook. The marching bands were there, bringing back cruel memories of standing in the bitter temperatures with my trumpet in hand. (Yes...I was in the marching band...solidifying my nerdy history) There were plenty of things to watch and Alex and Abby were pretty excited to see it all and wave to as many people as they could. They were little pros at gathering the mass of candy (Josh, my mom and I were just as active though). But towards the end, Abby's little fingers were sticky and wet and frozen to the bone. I kept trying to bundle her up in the blanket, but she was insistent on being free to use her hands. It wasn't cold enough to cause frostbite, but I was concerned nonetheless. In the end, we didn't get to see the whole festival. It was just too cold and the kids were ready to go home. I also didn't get very many photos due to a low battery and constantly pulling Abby out of harms way. She kept trying to get the candy in the middle of the street. Such a dedicated little one! It was a nice time out and I look forward to it every year. But I think I'm going to go ahead and start sending warm weather vibes into next October.

Tractors = Great!
Tractors that throw candy = Super Duper Awesome!

Enjoying the loot

Grandma, Josh, Alex and Abby enjoying the parade.

The horses didn't exactly leave a trail of candy...if you know what I mean.

Mama's little pink monkey.

Horses. Ahh...more freezing memories of riding horses in the parade.

It's a Beauty, Mate!

I bet you are asking, "What on Earth could the title of this blog have to do with kids unless your kid is Steve Irwin?" It's actually a rather interesting situation as far as kids go. You've heard of bilingual families, right? Unless I pass down my medium knowledge of the German language, then we are experiencing the closest thing to bilingual that we will probably ever be. With Alex and Abby's best TV friends being The Wiggles, they are learning to pick up some of the phrases that they hear. If you don't know already, The Wiggles are Australian. So they say things like "He really is a good bloke!" or "It's a beauty, mate!" Alex runs around the house using 'Australian' words and phrases. But he not only uses the phrases, but speaks them in an Australian accent. It's truly fascinating to hear. He enjoys a song about washing your hands. This thrills me because he is incredibly thorough when it comes to cleaning his fingers. But when he asks to wash his hands, half of the time he asks it in the Australian accent. Of course, to get full effect, you would have to hear it. I would love to post a video of it, but every time I try, he goes all camera shy. And, what with being only three years old, he has no clue what I mean when I say, "Alex, speak in an Australian accent." It's amazing what kids can learn and pick up as they grow. Though, I'm not sure what good a knowledge of such an accent will do him down the line. Who knows, maybe he'll be an actor one day.

It's All About the Condiments, Baby!

Vegetables. Need I say more? We definitely don't get the daily recommended servings in this house. Oh, I try to force them on the kids (and Josh for that matter). But does it work? Not generally. Honestly, I'm lucky if I can get two whole green beans down their gullets a day. I've tried to sneak them in, but seeing as how they don't eat much of anything aside of cereal, it doesn't work very well. Peas don't exactly go with cheerios and broccoli doesn't blend into the cocoa puffs very well. So I've tried a few tactics. If I feed them a plate of veggies before dinner is ready, they will piece on them. Then a few days ago I decided to throw some ketchup and BBQ on the plate with the green beans. Apparently, that's all it needed. One large plate of green beans disappeared fast when there was a lovely condiment on the plate. I should have known that was the key to success. If they want applesauce or oatmeal, all it takes to guarantee empty bowls are a few sprinkles or a dash of cinnamon. As for other foods, I'm sure ranch dressing would help, but a milk allergy makes that impossible. So we use Ketchup. Ketchup with fries. Ketchup with meat. Ketchup with bananas. Gross? Undoubtedly so. But it works. So who's to judge. I mean, as a kid I used to watch my dad put salt on watermelon and pepper on cantaloupe. To each their own. Food is food, but in the end, it's really all about the condiments, baby!

How Times Change

If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that my friend, Mandy, has a new baby girl. This week, we finally got to re-initiate our play-dates. So now, what used to be three screaming children, has become four. But for a brief moment, we were all sitting on the couch and enjoying a little quiet time. And by quiet time, I mean the TV was merrily playing cartoons and the kids were drooling over it. Though the peaceful moment only lasted mere minutes, it was nice. So I pulled out my trusty camera and snapped a timer photo. It's probably the best photo I've gotten of us with our kids. Greta doesn't look thrilled, but hey...she's only two weeks old. Gotta give her some credit. She's not exactly at the 'smile for the camera' phase of her life.

But as I was looking at this photo, it made me realize how much time has passed and how we have changed. Mandy and I have been friends since the fifth grade. It was one of those moments, when neither one of us had someone to sit with on the field trip bus and it turned out to be a life-time friendship. I gotta say that we've had quite the times together. Graduations, weddings, and now kids. It'll be interesting as we watch our kids grow and go through a second round of the same things. Graduations, weddings, and then grandkids. Here is a picture of Mandy and I on the eve of our high school graduation.

And then here, twelve years later, we have four kids between us both.

Wow. Times do change. But I wouldn't trade it. It's been a blast. If my blog is still going 30 years from now, perhaps I'll get to add a photo with grandkids.

Potty Time...for real

Okay. So In the past, I've blogged about potential potty training. Up until now, I've had hit and miss luck with it. I suppose I could count all of my failed attempts as steps that have gotten me this far, but who knows. Six days ago on Saturday I decided (after a disgusting poopy diaper) that I was done changing Alex's diapers. Or at least done changing them so often. You've seen those charts that you see regarding potty training. You know, the ones where it has every developmental milestone and sign that your child is ready to potty train? Yes. Well, Alex has ever single box checked. He has for quite some time, actually. I personally feel that he is such a busy kid, that he is simply being lazy about it. Why run all the way to the bathroom when you can just pee on the go?

So after multiple times hearing, "Are you working on potty training yet?", I'm finally able to answer, "Yes." Remarkably enough, it's going rather well. The first day was a total disaster. Josh was here and was more frustrated than I've seen him in a while. Day two was barely better. The pooping accidents were the worst of course. I thought that there was no hope in the near future. Yet another failed attempt at potty training. Ugh...

Then day three came along. We had mild success. Finally, there was light at the end of the heavily diapered tunnel. He only had two pee accidents and asked for a diaper to poop in. Okay...so he doesn't want to poop in the potty. No biggie. I'm good with that. At least he has control of it now. As day four came along, he started to ask to go potty. He had two accidents on day four and on day five had one. Today we are still at just one accident and he is recognizing that he has to go and goes mostly without prompting. Granted, I still find myself asking him to go very frequently. So folks, I won't lie to ya. This is fantastic! Amazing! And it will only get better. The diaper pile is barely disappearing and I can feel my pocket book growing heavier from the money I will be soon saving. I've actually thought about potty training miss Abby at the same time. We are using the reward method. Candy of course. And every time Alex gets a piece of candy she asks for one too. She is constantly telling me that she peed or pooped so who knows. Maybe before the year's end I will be diaper free. Here's hopin'...

It's Almost Birthday Time!

Okay, so in the words of my gaming husband, I have officially 'epic failed' on the birthday invitation area this time around. Alex's third birthday is quickly approaching and I have yet to get invitations out. Oh, they are ordered and due to arrive next week on the 6th. Great...so by the time I get them out and they are delivered, that will give anyone who wants to come a whopping one week notice. So I'm going to do something that would only work in this day and age. I'm going to give a heads up to any family or friends via blogging. Great...now I'm one of those moms. I'm not giving details, of course, purely for safety reasons. But I'm giving the date and time in hopes that it will help a few family members to get a nice heads up. I even have a picture of the invitation that you will be receiving in the mail very soon.

Saturday - October 17th @ 11:00 a.m.

We hope that everyone can make it. Alex is so excited for his big party. If you are wondering what he is interested in these days as far as birthday presents go (not that it's a requirement to give him anything so don't feel obligated), then I'll give you some ideas. He loves The Wiggles, tractors, The Wiggles, trucks, The Wiggles, coloring stuff like crayons and markers, The Wiggles, Buzz Lightyear...and did I mention The Wiggles? I'm going to make ice cream cone cupcakes. You know the kind, right? You use a cake cone to bake the cake batter in and make the frosting look like an ice cream cone.

Mmmm...I'm drooling already. Then there will be tasty soy ice cream (It tastes better than real ice cream if you get the right flavor). Hot dogs and chips with dip for the lunch and a plethora of soda pop to drink. We are hoping for good weather so that we can enjoy the free picnic table that I pawned off of the apartment complex that went bankrupt behind us. It's huge and would be great for an outdoor birthday celebration. It would also be great for any kids that come to enjoy some outside time while we still have mild temperatures. Usually on Alex's birthday, we get to enjoy our town festival, but this year the festival date was changed so there won't be a parade and rides to enjoy, but it will still be a lot of fun. I just feel like a lazy bum that I didn't get the invites out sooner. Bad Mama.

The Eye Roll

Okay, possibly the shortest blog entry I'll ever write, but tonight when miss Abby was fighting sleep I decided to rock her. It has been awhile since I rocked either of the kids, so it was really quite nice. Good bonding. But I think one of the most adorable things about kids this age, has got to be the eye roll. No, not the kind of eye roll you give when someone is annoying you. But the baby/toddler version of an eye roll. I call it the "I'm-too-tired-to-keep-my-eyes-open-but-I'm-going-to-fight-it-to-the-best-of-my-ability eye roll". Anyone who has ever rocked a wee one to sleep knows exactly what I'm talking about. Endearing.