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.