Randomness

1. I am annoyed because my husband is sooo freaking tall that he can not find clothes that fit him. He needs a 42XL sport coat if anyone has any ideas or can find something online please share.
2. I am truly proud of my girls today (so far, knock on wood) they've been in panties all day because the "Big Girl Fairy" (catchy right?) came last night and took all their diapers away. She left them brand new panties and a wrapped gift to open before bed if they do all their pees and poops in the potty today. Ava was absolutely terrified of wearing panties and has now peed and pooped in the potty and had NO accidents!! Lily was ready a long time ago and is totally into the big girl thing. I am so proud!
3. I went to the fridge a minute ago to get my leftovers from the Mexican restaurant and they were gone. I was pissed. Hubby always steals my food.
4. I called a fence guy to give us a quote and he'll be calling me early next week. Let's all think cheap thoughts.
5. I have had the eye twitchies all day yesterday and today. I am totally over it.
6. I've been thinking about Morgan a lot lately because there are TONS of trains here. I hope Jeanette is alright. I want to call her but then chicken out because I have no idea what to say to her. I'll just continue to pray for her and her family. He would be 5 in April, I think.
7. I bought myself a new purse/wallet combo yesterday and I already want another.
8. I am excited to do the girls Easter baskets this year. We're doing the whole thing complete with Easter egg hunt. Did I mention I'm excited?
9. My house is a mess but I got a ton of stuff accomplished already today and the day isn't over yet. Hopefully I will wash, fold, put away all of the laundry.
10. I wish my Dad was coming down here for the weekend I could use his help around the house. While we're at it I wish my parents lived down the street.

nothing an enchilada can't fix

Yesterday was not one of my favorite days, I'll be honest. After the bad behavior play date in the morning followed by the whiney afternoon I was ready for a margarita night. Luckily my husband was in the same boat, so when I suggested we seek food somewhere other than our kitchen, perhaps somewhere that offered margaritas, he agreed.

After wrangling the children we went in search of mexican food. Side note: I love this town, so far we know of three mexican restaraunts. We've now tried two of them and love them both. Way better than Corona's, back in Strasburg.

Last night we went to El Sombrero (please note that I have no idea how to type correctly in Spanish, sorry, I really don't know how to speak Spanish either fwiw). My friend Barb took me there once and I really enjoyed it. She loves it because the food is great and the man who owns it; Reuben, is a great guy, American dream kinda stuff.

Anyways... we walk in and Reuben seats us at our table as he goo-goos and gaa-gaas at the little senoritas in spanish. Lily was really hamming it up and pulling out all the cute moves for him. We explained to them after he walked away that he was speaking Spanish. They were amazed! Side note: Jeremy took Spanish in high school and remembers a lot of it so he's been teaching the girls. Lily really picked up the numbers and can count to 20 and now we're moving on and learning colors, they both picked up the colors easily. WE WILL NOT BE TEACHING THEM CHINESE NEXT - SHUT UP JENELL!

We had a great dinner and my mood improved as the girls behaved rather well and the food (that I didn't have to shop for, cook, plan, prepare, or clean up after) was served. Mmm, enchiladas, all is right with the world. As we were finishing eating the girls started to get back into the Spanish thing. Ava pointed to the "rojo" flowers at the table and Lily pointed to the "mazul" stripes painted on the dishes. Ava quickly corrected her sister and told her it's "a-zul".

We took our check up to the register so Reuben could ring us up and after paying we chatted with him for a bit. He was trying to get the ladies to say buenos noches but they were shy. Instead they said "Your shirt is rojo!" He was impressed, and the girls could tell they had him, hook, line and sinker. Then, enjoying the attention, Ava busted into the ABC's for him. He commented that was the first time tonight he'd been serenaded by a senorita. Then he asked us if they could have chocolate and he gave the girls a chocolate bar. And then, in the tiniest voice, too small for him to hear unfortunately, Lily said, "buenos noches a bejas" to Reuben.

Now, for all of you people who don't get to read the Dora's Bedtime Stories book a hundred or so times a year, I'll translate. Buenos noches a bejas = good night bees. Good times. Sarah Ann if you're reading this, I thought of you.

The moral of the story is:
Mexican food fixes the days problems.
It's cute when little white girls speak Spanish.
Dora really does teach your kids.

where is your father?

The ladies and I were invited to a neighbors house this morning for a play date in order to meet another neighbor and her girls (ages 4 and 1). I was excited to meet this family because the woman stays home and I am lacking in the SAHM friend category.

It started off pretty well, the girls built towers and robots or whatever while the adults talked. Then it all went south.
-Lily stole a toy from the baby and wouldn't give it back.
-Ava decided to act like a kitty and crawl around on the floor.
-Ava kept asking to go upstairs.
-Lily and Ava both kept asking for juice/snack.
-Fighting constantly over toys.
-Ava thought it was hilarious to kick me.
And then to top it all off Ava refused (loudly) to help clean up the toys when it was time to go.

And of course the whole time my kids are being beasts the other kid never needed so much as "the look." I probably wouldn't have even thought twice about my kids behavior if her kid even did one thing wrong. But no, her kid was perfect.

Why? Why on God's green earth do my kids malfunction and turn into little tyrants when I want them to be good? As soon as we got home Ava had to sit in her room for not helping clean up.

It's days like these that make me pause and say "What the hell am I doing wrong? This is not how I want them to be"

crossing the aisle

We're in the market for new swimsuits for the ladies, especially Lily. And while we're at it we also need to start thinking about shorts, t-shirts, and all that summer jazz. Lily was in a 5T this winter and some 5T's still fit, though they won't for long.

I have been dreading this day for awhile now. The day that she can't fit in the toddler section. I remember seeing my friend Jenell go through this with her daughter, but since Taylor is a more petite child she made the switch at 5/6 years old not 3/4 years old.

My favorite cheap stores; Kohls, Target, Walmart even have pretty great kids sections UNTIL you cross the aisle. Then all skank breaks loose! Suddenly everything is tight and has Hanna Montana's face plastered on it or some insane phrase like "juicy" scrawled across the butt. What the hell is with that?! Halter tops, short shorts, rhinestones, clingy fabrics, backless, front less, side less... it's horrible.

I wish she could just stay little. When we were at Target yesterday to check out their sale swimsuits Lily picked one up and said it was pretty. I was horrified to see the tiny triangle top and side-tied bottom in a sparkly hologram fabric, I am pretty sure I had one just like it in high school and it was kinda risque then, on a 17 year old. No way in hell am I buying something like that for a 3 year old.

We went home empty handed. I guess I'm back to my old stand by, Hanna Andersson, It's good quality, cute, childish, and fun. I just wish it wasn't sooo expensive. Oh well, I guess I'd rather spend a little more money to have my kid look like a kid vs going the cheap route and having a little Bratz doll of my very own.

strange children

The ladies march to their own tune. They do their own thing. They are unique individuals.

At least that's what I tell myself when they do something strange like dip their food in their beverage (Ava) or smell books that are not scratch'n'sniff (Lily). But every once in awhile they do something that is just more strange than their average.

Please see the following examples.

This is Ava asleep under her bed. I found her this way every night and every nap for about two weeks.

Here we have a classic example of the ladies first choice in head wear, the winter hat. They wear these hats almost every day in some form or fashion, most of the time to sleep. Don't worry, we do have heat.

Last night the girls found the fabulous monkey I received at GW and Ava became infatuated with it. She asked to sleep with it last night and her Dad gave it to her. She tried to snuggle with him before giving up and asking to have him stay on her dresser. Surprisingly he made it until morning and she never demanded to have him removed, which happens often around here.

Take a hike with Jesus

On Wednesday morning I checked the weather while drinking my cup of coffee as per usual. It was supposed to be a beautiful day so I started brainstorming things we could do outside to take advantage of the weather. Then I remembered Theresa telling me about Brukner nature center and after a little research I began preparations.

Yes, the ladies are three and some change years old, however there are still preparations. I began by chasing and bribing "thing 2" to put on her pants already while "thing 1" would not let me help her do anything. This spiraled into threatening "thing 2" to put on her pants or else... and finally being allowed to help "thing 1" pull her stuck arm out of the head hole of her shirt before she dislocated something. A little camera preparations, snack packing, and shoe wrangling later we were in the car and on our way.

The girls and I were having a great time singing along with the radio when we pulled in and parked the van. (Yep, that's right, I have a van, I know you're jealous. Maybe I'll let you drive next time) We took a short little walk down to look at the pond and see some turtles and then we were ready to embark on a "nature walk."

As we were crossing the parking lot and getting closer to the forest Lily yells "Let's go find Jesus!" "Jesus is in the forest Momma, let's go find him!" And of course not to be the only one left out Ava pipes in, "Jesus!" as she goes running into the woods. I took a deep breath and made sure no one just heard that. Check, we're clear.

OK, hold on let me explain myself. Don't go jumping to conclusions. My kids only went to church a couple times when they were babies, however we do plan on attending one again at some point, if we can find one that's not full of crazy's. We do have a bible and a kids bible but we're just not what you would call openly religious types. Why do my children know Jesus, you ask?

It's because of this place.
http://holyhill.com/Basilica/default.aspx also seen here http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/57499742_656a7e682c.jpg

Holy Hill Bascilica in Hubertus, WI is one of my favorite places. It is probably the most beautiful mix of religion, architecture, and the outdoors that I have ever seen. Just driving to it is relaxing (if you avoid the freeway) and as soon as I start to walk around I feel calm and whole. I love the place, what can I say. I have a lot of fond family memories of Holy Hill.

Ok, back to my crazy girls! Last summer the stars aligned and we had enough time to go to Holy Hill. My husband and kids had never been there and I was excited to take them. Mass was being held inside and no way was that going to happen with a double dose of two year old. I suggested we walk the stations of the cross. The stations of the cross are spread throughout a hiking trail and you walk to each one, they're large, but not quite life size. (I'm not Catholic, so maybe you're supposed to do something at each one, I don't know)

At the first station the girls asked who the man was and I told them it was Jesus. They considered this for a moment and then introduced themselves to Jesus.
Ava: "Hi Jesus, Hi"
Lily: "How doing?
Jesus: nothing, nadda, birds chirping

Ava (getting a little ticked) "Hi!"
Lily: "Momma, he no say hi to me"
Jesus: blank stare, crickets

After collecting myself I stepped in and explained that Jesus was a statue and he would not say hi. Ava did the mope and pouted, head hung low, arms hanging down like an ape (not a monkey). This news did not please her. Lily took it much better and moved on to looking for "popcorns" (acorns.)

So as any parent of small children would, we made finding the next station a game. The ladies ran down the trail looking for the next Jesus. This was great fun, picking up "popcorns" and looking for Jesus. Then at another station Ava noticed that there were offerings left all around the station, flowers, candles, coins etc. She asked me why they were there and I attempted to explain what an offering is. She considered my explanation and reached into her pocket (which she had just figured out an hour earlier and filled with acorns) and brought out the contents, acorns. Then she told me she wanted to give them to Jesus. At this point my heart melted and I got all weepy. I told her Jesus would love them and she put them on the station with the other offerings.

It was a fantastic day and one I'm sure I'll always remember. However I really need to get my kids in church because now they think that ANY statue is Jesus, like even the little cheesy ones some people have in their gardens. And apparently he is down every trail in the forest. They do know what Jesus looks like though because every time we walk into the YMCA they look at his picture by the door and say (too loudly) "Momma, there's Jesus!"

Dr. Shitcoat

How about a story? I realize that pretty much everybody who will be reading my blog is either a new friend or someone who knows me, but hasn't hung out with me much in the last forever-and-a-day, so I thought I might as well catch everyone up all at once. Jenell, stop laughing and let everyone finish reading first.

When we moved from Maryland to Colorado, I was 16 weeks pregnant with the ladies. My mother is an OBGYN nurse and was absolutely on me to get to the Dr as soon as we got to CO. Hubby was military so we had coverage, just no actual Dr, so Grandma was on my case.

After the usual Tri-care run-around we got an appointment. We got through the nurse part and pee in a cup routine just fine. Then an older woman Dr came in smelling of shit. Really, really smelling of shit. I was up there on the table while her clammy hands measured me and found a heartbeat with the Doppler. I thought I was going to barf from the super shit smell.

Then I saw it...shit, shit was all over her labcoat, down her pants, on her shoe. I almost lost it. I think my eyes were bugging out of my head as I looked at my husband for support. I tried to get his eyes to look at the shitiness of the Dr and when he saw what I saw his eyes bugged out too. There was no denying that this was her shit, not patient shit. There was definately a "flow pattern" vs a "splat pattern".

I wanted to run, just hightail it out of there and go back to the nice military men who were my Dr's in Maryland. They were never covered in shit, just nice clean uniforms! But just then she said, "Yep, heartbeat is fine" and took the Doppler away. I thought "WTF are you doing shithead" (ok, no, I don't think there was shit on her head but there could have been a trace amount). So I piped up and said "uh, I'm having twins." There was some confusion and again with the clammy hands, ah yes two heartbeats, we're good. Phew. Meanwhile the shit smell is so bad in this room that I am literally holding my breath while my husband is pretending absolutely nothing is wrong, all is right with the over-powering shit smell.

Dr. Stinky left to get me some forms after finishing up the exam as fast as she could. I practically lunged for the fresh air that poured in when she left. Hubby and I sat there staring at each other, not sure how far away she went or when she'd come back. We were silent, both of us thinking that surely this was not happening.

Several minutes later Dr. Dookie comes back, sort of cleaner. She had changed her labcoat at least, though the stench was still powerfull. She was explaining something though I couldn't pay attention at all. I just kept thinking how does that happen? How exactly do you shit all over yourself and not realize what you've done? Surely she could at least smell it?

As soon as we got out of there we couldn't shut up about the shitty Dr I had. I think I called everyone I knew. We even debated if we should make a complaint, but decided she had enough shit to deal with, surely she must have a major medical problem. Im not sure what happened to her, but I never saw her at that clinic again, perhaps she shat herself to death.

Well Crap

Ok, so I guess I'm weak.

I jumped on the bandwagon to follow Jenell. Where she blogs, I follow. Hopefully we'll be able to stay in touch a little better this way. At least we'll be able to keep up with each other's day to day bs more closely than we have been. (Aren't those pesky three years up yet? I'm kinda over the whole you in Australia thing already. My neighbors house is for sale btw, just sayin')

Honestly though, I find myself often wrapped up in said day to day bs and forget all the silly little things the ladies say and do. Hopefully this blog won't be as empty as their baby books.

What's going on...

Background noise: Lily being the teacher and Ava being the children, Franklin on TV

Smell: Coffee and oatmeal

Weather: Sunny high of 49, yippee!

To-Do's: Phone calls, laundry, floors, workout, find a CSA

Dinner for tonight: Walleye, homemade mac and cheese, broccoli