Shhhh... A Little Surprise for Trey's Birthday Party Day!

Doug was originally supposed to be out of town the week of Trey's birthday, so we had decided early on that we would celebrate Trey's birthday on Saturday (he wouldn't know the difference). :) Thankfully, Doug's trip was rescheduled to May, but since we had already decided on a few surprises for Trey's birthday weekend, we still went with the original plan.

So, on Friday night, after the kids had gone to bed, we pulled out the helium tank we bought from Target and filled 30 balloons to put in Trey's room, so when he woke up in the morning, he would be SO surprised! They looked awesome, and Trey loved it! (The picture is terrible, since I had to take it in the dark, but you can still see Trey sleeping soundly, and all the balloons above his head.) Doug and Brian also put together Trey's birthday gift from us- a new Razor scooter! We already knew that Trey had some awesome "scooter skills", since he rode Brooke's scooter like an old pro!

On a side note, you would think 30 balloons would be a lot, but the reality is that it probably would take about 90 - 120 balloons to fill the entire room- 30 filled the entire space over his bed, though.

The balloons will definitely be a tradition we will do each year- they were amazing! When Trey woke up, he came running into our room saying, "Mama, the balloons in my room are yellow, and blue, and red, and purple!!!!" The exact reaction I was hoping for!

St. Patricks Day 2012- a day early :)

On Friday, I dressed the kids in their St. Patricks Day gear and sent them off to school! I knew that since Trey's birthday party was on Saturday, which was the "real" St. Patrick's Day, he would be wearing his special birthday shirt, so I figured, let's just celebrate today. Plus they got to show off their cool clothes at school. :)

That afternoon, Uncle Brian, Aunt Melissa, and Rylee also arrived for Trey's special birthday weekend, and Trey was SO HAPPY to have Rylee here. They really love each other, and always have the best time when they are together.

Trey asked if Rylee could "sleep in his bed", so that night we let them both settle down and get ready for bed in Trey's room. The fact is, neither of them can actually go to sleep when they are in the same bed, so we eventually had to separate them, but it was sweet that they wanted to be together.

Back in the routine of things!

After Carrington being so sick for so long, it just felt like we weren't doing our regular routine. As I was thinking about what is "normal" for us, I thought I would write it down, because Lord knows, it changes all the time!

Today, Trey is 3 years old, and Carrington is 17 months old:

Trey wakes up some time between 7am and 8am each day. Carrington always wakes up at 8am, unless I go in and wake her up sooner. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the kids go to preschool until 1pm, while I either work at the local coffee or bagel shop, or I run errands. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the kids stay with Jean and Miss Brooke until 5pm. Our breakfasts usually consist of muffins, waffles, pop tarts, or some other "easy" food. On days that I have a little bit of extra time, they will have cereal or my 2 minute, home-made french toast (a HUGE HIT in our house). On Wed. and Fridays, Allie joins us in the morning, and the kids LOVE it! We also like to share our breakfast with Allie, that way nobody feels left out :). Both kids nap at 1pm. Trey is usually awake by 3pm, and Carrington by 4pm. The kids will usually play outside until Doug gets home around 5/5:30pm. We have dinner at 6pm, and Trey's favorite food is STILL hotdogs. He rarely eats anything else, despite our best efforts. If it were up to him, he would eat hotdogs and chips forever. We can sometimes talk him into eating chicken nuggets, and he also likes rice (which is kind of random to me). Carrington, on the other hand, will eat anything you put on her plate. She is wonderful that way! If the kids eat well during dinner time, they get a cookie after dinner, and then we head upstairs for bathtime around 7pm. Carrington is almost always in bed by 8pm, and Trey is our little night owl. He usually falls asleep somewhere around 9:30 or 10pm. We spent far too much time trying to get him to go to bed sooner, and eventually we just came to accept the fact that he naturally wants to be awake until 9:30pm, and that's just life. Once we stopped forcing the bedtime, life got so much more smooth, so I'm not worried about it! :)

That's a "day in the life" of Trey and Carrington. :)

Life Just Keeps Getting Better!

I just went back and realized that I haven't posted an update since Valentine's Day! We've had a bunch of fun, and a pretty bad stretch of being sick, since then, so I'm going to try and remember all that has happened.

The best news of all is that Trey is 100%, completely potty trained! This isn't just days, but it is days, naptimes, and nights! Woohoo!!! About a month ago, I was driving home from work, talking on the phone to my BF, Angela, and she was telling me how her daughter Emma just decided one day to not wear her pullup anymore, and that was it. Trey and I had already been having the "fight" about wearing the pullup at night, but so far, I had still been winning. Well, that night, Trey and I had our usual argument about putting the pullup on to go to bed, but I forced it, and the next morning when I went into his room to wake him up, I saw the pullup laying on the floor by the door. I immediately panicked, ran over to the bed to wake him up, and saw that he was completely dry!!! I couldn't believe it, and we haven't looked back since! He's been awesome, and once again, it was probably me holding him back from being a total "big boy". :) The funniest part was that Jean had been telling me for a few weeks before that, that Trey was staying dry during his naps, but I still wasn't willing to take the risk. It turns out that EVERYONE knew better than me.

Trey and I also had a "date night", just the two of us, and I took him to see his very first movie in the theater- The Lorax! We got to the movies and bought popcorn, a smoothie, and big box of M&M's- Trey was in heaven! He did great through the entire movie, although he didn't recognize any of the characters, so he kept wanting to ask questions (and he has NO concept of a whisper voice in the theater), but we had a lot of fun. I NEVER get to do things with just Trey and myself, so it felt extra special for me. Afterwards we went to TCBY and got another treat before heading home (yes, he was completely spoiled with junk food that afternoon!).

That same weekend, Carrington got a super nasty stomach virus and was throwing up for 4 straight days. I have never seen anything that bad, for that long, and the worst part was that since she is so young, there really isn't any medication they could give her, so we just had to suffer through it and made sure she stayed hydrated. I was exhausted, but she is doing a hundred times better now!

On another frustrating note, Trey went back to the ENT for his ears, and we had a preliminary hearing test done. Unfortunately, the news was not good- Trey had a flat response in his left ear (which is virtually no hearing), and a negative response in his right ear (which is the equivalent of how your ear feels when it needs to pop). The end result is that we will be doing a third surgery and have a more agressive type of tube put into his ears, and then revisit the hearing specialist in a few weeks... This has been a difficult issue for us, and Trey, and I'm hoping that he will outgrow the ear infections, but in the meantime, we are going to have to be diligent about his speech and hearing needs. Doug and I will also probably be speaking to another surgeon, for a second opinion, and the possibility of some other options.

We also had a visit from Uncle Brian and Aunt Kristyn a few weeks ago! The kids LOVE it when their aunt and uncle are here, and we are looking forward to them coming back down again next weekend!

Trey is SO talented!!! :)

This is my proud Mommy moment :).

Valentine's Day 2012

I tried to make Valentine's Day extra special this year! Trey is getting older, and he knew today was Valentine's Day- and he knew exactly who he wanted to give his Valentine's! He constantly makes me smile :).

When the kids went downstairs for breakfast, I had set out heart shaped banana bread bars, chocolate milk, and their Valentine's baskets. They were both so surprised (or maybe that was hunger... we had a rough night the previous evening when neither one of them would eat their dinner, so Doug and I took a stand and didn't give them anything else, so they basically went to bed hungry), but either way, they were SO HAPPY! What do you put inside a child's Valentine's basket, you ask? That's easy! If you are almost 3, and a boy, you get: Go Diego underwear (of course), mini M&M's (for being a good boy and going on the potty), a new sippy cup with "dinosaur sides" (he told me that it was a dinosaur cup), and some chocolates! If you are 16 months old and a girl, you get: Socks (because none of your baby socks fit), mini M&M's, because you want everything your big brother has, and a new sippy cup! See? That's so simple!

Doug made us a family reservation at Compania for dinner, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous! As soon as we walked in, the entire restaurant was dimly lit, with tables clustered in seatings of "2"- clearly meant for a romantic evening! I KNOW that when we were being seated, as a family, with our two small children, the guests around us were all rolling their eyes and wanting to leave... Well- we showed them! The kids were awesome! They happily ate bread, pasta, and drank water, all the while coloring and chatting, with the occasional break to play on our cell phones. It was amazing! At the end of dinner (which was 2 hours long!), Doug looked at me and said that if the kids were this good all the time, he would take us out to fancy dinners every weekend! :) I'm not going to lie, though, we had one smaller hiccup- Trey did crawl under the table to pick up Carrington's shoe, and instead of hopping back up into his seat, he made a quick getaway and headed straight for the kitchen. Luckily, Doug caught up to him, just before Trey crashed into a waiter's legs. The upside was that Trey was immediately apologetic, and he didn't cry when Doug scolded him, and we went on with our meal like nothing happened! Woohoo!!! Disaster averted!

Baby Stroller- A Fun Toy for Everyone!

Always glad to see the kids Christmas gifts being put to good use :).

The BEST Saturday in a long time!

Today has been glorious! I am not saying this in a sarcastic way at all... it has truthfully been one of the most relaxing days I have had in a long time. Have I showered? No. Have I put on clean clothes? No. Have I brushed my hair? No. Have I brushed my teeth? Yes- don't worry :). But that is IT. Once I used the toothbrush, I took one look in the mirror and decided that was GOOD ENOUGH!

So, what have we been doing all day??? I wouldn't say nothing, because I have been busy, but in the creative, fun way that I love. I've had the same feeling that I used to get when I would spend hours upon hours scrapbooking, or more recently, painting pottery... It's the relaxation that you get from creating a fun space in your house, or doing a new project, or baking with your kids! And we've done all of those things!

First, I finished up the kids Valentine's. They were supposed to be done on Friday, and sent to school, but I was unbelievably sick all week long, and incredibly busy with work, and just didn't have the time. So, I assume that since Valentine's Day is actually Tuesday, the kids can take their Valentine's on Monday, and nobody will be the wiser. They are adorable, and I'll post pictures next week! I also finished up the kids Valentine's baskets from Mommy and Daddy. Glad that's done!

Next, we finished up a little space to display Trey's (and eventually Carrington's) artwork. It was a very simple project, and the end result was perfect! A little Miratek board, some spray paint, wooden clothespins, more spraypaint, some stickers, and ta-da!!! I love it! Trey is in heaven! Every time he walks by and sees his artwork, he gets excited.



Then, I decided to try my hand at some cake pops. I've bought them at Starbucks, seen them in every catalog under the sun, and always thought to myself, "seriously, how hard can this be???" Turns out, not hard at all! And it's the perfect project to do with your kids! Trey could dump sprinkles and candies on top, as much as he liked, and they just got cuter and cuter! I think I should start charging $2.50 per pop and make a small fortune :).







I have also been working on a much larger project for weeks now with some old, wooden windows. They are almost finished, and I can't wait to share the "Final Product"!

In between all of that, the kids have played together NICELY all day long! I hate to jinx myself by even writing this, but they are actually playing sweetly with one another and sharing all their toys and food. Trey even asked when "baby sweetheart" could get up from her nap, so he could share his chips! If you know how much Trey loves chips, you would understand what a big deal this really is!




Here's to hoping the rest of the evening, and weekend for that matter, go as wonderfully as today!

Carrington is 15 Months Old!!!

On January 29th, Carrington turned 15 months old. I could have sworn there was a 15 month doctor's appt., but apparently I was wrong :(. This definitely made me sad, because I was curious to see how she was "stacking up to the competition", but I guess we'll be waiting until the 18 month appointment to find out!

We went back to Virginia last weekend, to celebrate Grammy, Big Daddy, AND Nanijay's birthdays! We also got to spend some time with Rylee- which Trey ADORED!!! It was a lot of fun, and I especially enjoyed an entire day of shopping, "just the girls" on Saturday. It had been a long time since I've spent a full day of shopping, and I quickly remembered how much I love it.

Whenever we are at my mom's house, Trey sleeps in Big Daddy and NaniJay's room, in a toddler bed. Apparently on Saturday night, he woke up with a terrible ear ache, and just couldn't relax. Sure enough, by the time NaniJay came and woke up Doug at 7:30am, Trey was miserable. He spent the entire day sleeping- the whole morning while we packed, the entire trip back home, and the rest of the evening. I'm not kidding- I don't remember the last time Trey had this much sleep! First thing Monday, I called the ENT specialist and made an appt. Trey has now had 3 ear infections since Christmas, and with all his ear problems, and the tubes, I knew that we needed to get this figured out. When we got to the doctor, both of Trey's ears were draining puss (yes, this is gross, but it's the facts), and the doctor thought we should pull one of the tubes out (the one that hadn't really been in place since the last surgery). Trey completely freaked out- basically, they take what looks like a crochet needle and stick it down into the ear and "hook" the tube. It was terrible, and as soon as the tube came out, all the drainage and fluid came pouring out. The doctor asked if I wanted to have them suction the drainage out of both ears, but I felt like we had enough trauma for one day- and suctioning the drainage was only an immediate solution, and the drainage would keep on coming until the infection went away, so I chose to NOT take this path.

Luckily, Trey seemed to be in good spirits, and since ear infections aren't contagious, we continued on with our usual routine throughout the week. On Tuesday, the kids went to Jean's house, but Carrington wasn't really herself that night. We did go to preschool on Wed, but by Wed. afternoon, Carrington was running a fever and definitely not feeling well. Sure enough- that night, as Doug was trying to cuddle with her and calm her down, she got a funny little look on her face and promptly barfed ALL OVER DOUG. Yep, it was awesome. Doug- being the super dad that he is- stayed home with the kids on Thursday, and Carrington slept most of the day. By Friday morning, we attempted preschool again, and both kiddos are doing significantly better.

Now, to share one of our better parenting moments. There have been all sorts of Tylenol recalls lately, and Carrington is right on the border of being able to have Children's instead of Infant's Tylenol (I share this, to justify my insane overreaction, which you are about to read). Saturday night, as the kids were taking a bath, Doug grabbed the children's Tylenol and gave Carrington a full teaspoon! Not realizing Doug had done this, I got the kids out of the tub, and proceeded to give Carrington another teaspoon of Children's Tylenol about 10 minutes later. As Doug watched me do this, he decides to tell me that he had already given her medicine (thanks for sharing a second too late, Doug). I then went online to see if there were any serious side effects of too much medicine in someone that really should probably only be taking Infant's Tylenol. Well... I managed to freak myself out, and I was convinced that Carrington would have some sort of liver failure- did I mention that I've also been super sick all weekend, and slightly drugged up on all sorts of medicine, which tends to make me woozy and emotional, hence the huge overreaction. I called the CVS pharmacist, the on call nurse, and eventually they connected me to poison control. Turns out, Carrington was going to be just fine. In the lovely light of day, I realize that this was a ridiculous response, and I should have been far more level headed and known Carrington was probably just going to sleep extra well, and pain free, for the night- which she did :).

A new favorite toy in our lives is currently the bubble maker for the bathtub. Allie gave this to Carrington for Christmas, and the kids L-O-V-E it!!! Allie came over early on Friday, before school, and saw the bubble maker in the bathroom, and she got so excited, which brought on an impromptu bubble party before we left for preschool. :) Wish I had my camera and taken some pictures, but I didn't. Definitely next time!

I'm sitting here in bed, again, fully Sudafed-ed up, watching the Super Bowl and blogging. Not the most glamorous of nights, and I'm sad we didn't make it to any Super Bowl parties (although I was relieved to see that my neighbor had to cancel hers, since their family got so sick, too). I'm looking forward to a healthy week- keep your fingers crossed!!!!