Birthday+Fun-Tears=Pretty Fun!

My birthday was on Wednesday, and it was pretty good. David woke up early and started breakfast, got Claire and Ethan out of bed and let me "sleep in". Sleeping in to me these days is 7:30 on a school day, but today I got up at 7:15. David made eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. Claire didn't eat her eggs. She never really does. She just isn't a fan. I, on the other hand, thought the breakfast was fantastic. It's also rare that David makes anything that isn't gross. So YAY! And, we had orange juice, which I also love.

I got lots of phone calls. I spent a good amount of time on the phone with my mom. I love my mom. I love talking to my mom. I think my mom is a fantastic lady. Of course, my opinion my be biased because she is my mom, but hey, I love my mom.

The evening was topped off by having some great cake made for me by my two boys and my little girl. A third boy could have helped, but he can barely hold a rattle, so I think he's kinda out of the cake making came this year. Claire helped until David pulled out the mixer, then she ran. Ethan danced around David's legs begging for a spatula of frosting. When all was said and done, my cake looked a little something like this:The top layer broke in half when he was taking it out of the pan. I tried to tell him how to do it without it breaking, but of course, he didn't listen, so I had a fault line in my cake. Throw California on top and we could have some regular earthquake action. Even though it looks scary, it was pretty good, and I love it when David helps Ethan bake something special, which also doesn't happen very often. I'm the baker in the family.

Another plus? I didn't spend my entire birthday crying because of fabulous pregnancy hormones.

So, year 27 is here, and I'm pretty excited to see what it has in store for me. Claire's birthday is 2 weeks away. Her kitchen is eagerly awaiting her, as am I to see her face when she sees it. And, the princess castle cake I'm going to make her. I can't wait!

Impending Birthday Brings Back Memory Of Cakes Past

Before I start writing this, let me just tell you that there is a super awesome giveaway happening over at Mayhem & Moxie. It's pretty sweet actually because my birthday is tomorrow and it's birthday themed. Click the above button to check out the fabulous prizes!

One of the entries is to write a post based on a prompt. I chose the Tell Us Your Personal Cake Wreck Story.

Now, I've only ever had one professional cake go awry, and it wasn't the cake makers fault. My SIL accidentally told her the wrong spelling of Claire's name for her baby shower cake, so that day instead of Claire she was Clarie. This is more of a personal foul, because I completely screwed up two cakes...And it wasn't pretty.

Let's journey back to August 27, 2005. It's David's birthday. It also happens to be about a week before our wedding day. We've had a terrible morning which involved me getting some bad news about an old friend who had been injured in a hit and run accident, and David arguing with the jeweler about the fact that his wedding ring "may or may not be" ready for our wedding on Friday. Let me just put this out there to the jewelers of the world, you never want to tell a bride that her husbands wedding ring "may not be" ready on her wedding day. She will stab you with the daggers in her eyes.

After a long and stressful morning, I got to work making David's birthday cake. I do it every year. One for him on the 27th, one for Ethan on the 28th. Everyone gets a cake on their birthday. Ethan, being one day shy of 3 at this time, pulled a chair up to the counter to help me pour the oil and water into the mix. We mixed. We danced. We waited for the cake to make the kitchen smell good. We frosted, and Ethan was happy with his frosting covered spatula at the end of it all. He happily set to watching Disney movies with his treat. I set the cake on the plate on the kitchen counter, feeling a little less stressed. I chatted with my MIL as I cleaned up my cake mess, then went upstairs for more wedding talk. These details needing hammering.

You probably see where this is headed, right? I didn't mention Ethan following me up the stairs, did I? I sure didn't. I was upstairs all of 10 minutes when Ethan came into the room, covered in chocolate. He was with my MIL. So what happened? She went out the back door to put clothes in the dryer. This was Ethan's window of opportunity. He took 3 minutes to eat the ENTIRE top layer of David's cake and smash the bottom into something unrecognizable. He then came upstairs covered in evidence. After surveying the damage, I had to bathe Ethan and run to the grocery store to buy more cake mix and frosting. Just what I wanted to be doing. However, I only had one can of frosting and one box of cake mix for Ethan's cake the next day. I had no choice. The second cake was great though, and yes, it survived, because I put it in a tupperware container for cakes, away from Ethan's hands and mouth.

Lesson? Put your cakes in tupperware containers away from 3 year old hands.

Getting To Know YOU!

Grayson is in a milk induced deep snooze. Claire is ripping Ethan's room apart..(That'll be fun to clean later!)..Ethan is watching a movie, so since the kids are having a good time, let's get to know me!!

1. What year did you graduate high school?
2001

2. What part of your body do you neglect the most?
My feet. They are not flip flop ready.

3. Beach house or Lake house?
Neither. Living near water with children freaks me out. Even for a short period of time.

4. Mac or PC?
Mac even though all I've ever owned are PC.

5. Did you wear braces?
Yes, for 3 1/2 years.

6. If you could be one person for a day..living or deceased..who would you be?
Me. I like me.

7. How many times have you moved in your life?
Too many. In all honesty, I've lost count.

8. Would you rather cook or clean?
Clean. I hate cooking. Probably because I'm bad at it.

CRAP!

I haven't had a period since January 27th, 2009. I found out February 26th that Grayson was coming. He arrived on Halloween. He's 4 months old. My period has reappeared. CRAP!! I was kinda hoping I would be one of the lucky ones that was going to miss the visits from Aunt Flo during breastfeeding. Grayson has been breast exclusive since birth. He refuses bottles. I mean, there were a few times he had to have bottles when I got that infection after his birth since I had to pump and dump 3 feedings a day, but since then, there have been no bottles. He refuses them. So, I figured I was going to miss out seeing as how my period came back about a month after Ethan and Claire were born. Nope...Not so lucky. DARN.

Grayson and I will be venturing into baby food territory soon. He'll be 5 months old in a couple of weeks. WOW..Where did the time go? I wanted to wait until he was six months, but he's suddenly become very interested in my food when I eat. He reaches onto my plate. I thought about giving him a taste of banana the other day, but decided against it. I think I'll buy a box of rice cereal and some fruits to make into baby food for a later date. I ended up buying the Beaba Babycook and I am very excited to start using it. Problem? How in the crap do you peel an apple? Or a peach? I'll figure it out. Now I just need to buy some ice cube trays and some plastic freezer baggies to store the foods in. I really am very excited to make my own baby food. I had a nasty experience with jarred food with Claire that really turned me off to it, so I can't wait to get started on this. I think it's going to save us lots of money because I can make and freeze more servings than what I can buy, and I know exactly what's going into his food since I'm making it. It'll be great. David still isn't convinced, but he'll see. It'll all be worth it.

In other news, my birthday is on Wednesday. I've already gotten my gifts from David. He bought me a Cricut which I am SO very excited about. I really want to make birthday banners for everyone. We have family over for cake and ice cream on the kids birthday's and I love to make their day's special with special breakfasts and decorations and a cake and all of that, and this will help. I've already tested it out by cutting some shapes and letters. I'll also be able to get going on Claire's scrapbook as well as Grayson's. All I need to do is get the pictures printed out and get some extra scrapbook stuff. He also got me Glee on DVD. Claire and I have been watching it. Me because I think it's fabulous. Her because she likes to shake her diaper. It's so much fun to watch her get down. This is also the first birthday in two years that I haven't been pregnant. You know what that means? No crying. I cried all day on my last two birthdays. Pregnancy hormones are crazy. I mean, last year I cried because I didn't think I was going to get Chinese food. Seriously. I cried for an hour and a half. David laughed, which made me cry harder. So, here's to a tear free 27th birthday!

Finally, The Snow Is Gone...

And all that's left behind is mud. Lots and lots of mud. Bonus? It was 61 degrees out today! SIXTY ONE!! Get gone winter. Get gone. It was also the perfect opportunity for the kids and I to break out of our cabin fever mode. I busted out the new stroller and we took a walk up main street, which is only two blocks from our house, but I though that might be all Grayson could handle. It was his first time out around town. So, out we went, and it was fabulous. We walked down the road. Ethan talked excitedly about school. Claire kicked her legs and enjoyed the ride, and Grayson just sat back and relaxed. He didn't make a little bit of noise at all. None. I was actually surprised. He's usually not so quiet about stroller rides. Then again, he hasn't had a stroller ride that didn't involve his car seat and the Cozy Cover that's slapped over it now. But, since he weather is warming up, I'll be removing it. We're meeting my FIL, SIL, her hubby and their daughter for dinner on Thursday (pre-birthday dinner for me..WOO HOO!). It'll be the first night that Grayson won't have the cozy cover on the car seat since his birth. I bet he'll be excited. He can actually see stuff!! He also hates being zipped into it. Poor little guy freaks out. So bye bye cozy cover! It's also not something I'm used to at all seeing as how Claire was born in the spring and when Ethan was a baby we lived in Phoenix. In fact, the year he was born we got a ton of winter clothes, and that winter it didn't get below 80 degrees all winter. Seriously. I gave them to my cousin when her son was born the following November. She got good use out of them.

When we reached main street on this walk, I took a picture.Ethan actually complained about me taking a picture. That's never happened before. If he thinks it's bad now, just wait until he brings that first girlfriend here. I've got some naked tush pictures that are waiting to be shown. Muhahahhaa!! That was my evil laugh by the way. Oh, and the background here, that's main street. My town is tiny. Very tiny. Which is why I take walks and make my kids pose for pictures.

Rain..Thunder..Spring?

The weather today was FANTASTIC. Just wonderful. It's been rainy the past few days. Just awful. Yesterday was Layla Grace's Celebration of Life in Texas. People around the country released balloons in her honor. We missed it yesterday because it was too wet and rainy in our neck of the woods, so we did it this morning. Ethan, of course, had lots of questions about Layla Grace and cancer. We've had this conversation many times because he always asks questions about my grandfather. However, answering question about a 2 year old child dying is a lot harder than answering questions about the death of a 66 year old man. I just didn't have all the answers. I let him release the balloons. He asked me why people release balloons. I told him that it makes a happy memory. He told me he wanted to help make a happy memory, and he did.Last week's auction over at Project Mommyhood was a raging success. I think she posted that she raised well over $1,500 for the Marsh family. Amazing. Truly amazing. I also won one of the auctions. A set of hair bows and headbands. Claire was pretty much bald until the age of 15 months. That's when her hair really started coming in. So, when the bows and headbands came, she wasn't too excited about trying them on. They are absolutely adorable though. I managed to catch a picture of her in one before she ripped it out of her hair. I think she's getting used to them now though. She wore one all day today without trying to take it out at all. Since her birthday is coming up soon, I'll be taking her and Grayson to Target for her birthday pictures and his 6 months pictures. She'll be wearing one of the headbands and her Layla Grace tutu from Little Diva Tutus. In Grayson news, we had his 4 month check up on Friday. He's now 15lbs 13oz and 24 inches long. He's still the only one of my children that has a head that can be measured and compared to others on a growth scale. Claire and Ethan were way off the charts by now. He also the only one that does not cry during vaccination. He looked at me. That was it. At his two month check, he screamed. This time he was like, "Eh..Whatever. Are we done here?" He been acting a little odd lately whenever we (or I should say I, because of course it's fine when daddy does it) touch his head. The other day during his bath he was screaming and kicking and sliding the baby tub all over the big tub. He was checked out and he said he didn't see anything wrong with him. Of course, when he was checking his head, Grayson could have cared less at that moment. I don't know what the deal it. He said maybe he just has sensitive skin on the back of his head. Hopefully that's all it is. His goop eye is getting a little better, but he still says if it isn't completely clear by 9 months we have to see the pediatric eye doctor to have them cleared out. I'm really not looking forward to that. David got Grayson some shades to make him feel better about it though.
Also, Ethan got some art he made put in an art show at the community college up here. He's very proud. We're going to see it on Tuesday. Pictures to come!

Thank You Layla

I awoke this morning and went through the same routine I do every school morning. I fed the kids breakfast. I checked homework. I said I love you's and gave kisses. I checked Twitter to check on little Layla as I always did every morning. It became routine. She captured my heart. There was nothing new. I hoped with all hope that she had made it through another night. At about 1:30PM though, that hope was gone when I read this message "Layla went to play with the angels early this morning. Rest in peace precious Layla. 11/26/2007 - 3/9/2010". My heart sank for the Marsh family. My heart cracked for little Layla. I actually cried. It's hard not to cry now. I never met her, I never met her parents, but her fight touched me. Over the past few weeks I found myself celebrating the little things and hoping for a miracle right alongside of thousands of other people reading her story. Over the past few weeks, I learned. Here's what I've done since "meeting" Layla.

-I let Claire "help" fold the laundry without getting angry or saying no. I watched her unfold all of my folds and giggle that little giggle. I drank in her laugh and tiny shrieks of joy. It didn't matter to me that I had to do it all again.

-I left the dishes in the sink and on the counter and played with Grayson's toes instead. His belly laugh was better than the sound of water hitting the bottom of my sink.

-I read Ethan extra pages of his book when he asked. I was exhausted and he had school the next day, but I flipped ahead a few pages and put the bookmark in our new stopping point, and picked up where we left off.

-I lingered over cribs in the night to watch my children sleep. I rested my hand a little longer over Ethan's hair when I pulled his blankets up at night. I felt my heart swell with love over my baby's.

-I've taken the time to cuddle each one of my children close, heads rested on my shoulder, hearts beating against my chest, and cherished every moment of it.

Little Layla changed the way I interact with my children. She's touched my heart. I'm terribly sad that she had to go, but her work here is done. She has done more in her 2 years here on Earth that I will ever do. She's given people stronger faith, stronger connections to their families and raised awareness for other people suffering from Neuroblastoma. She did not die in vain. She'll always be remembered. So, thank you Layla..Thank you.

((Donations to help with Layla's medical bills can be made to Layla's parents on their blog at http://laylagrace.org and you can still purchase Layla Grace tutus from Little Miss Diva Tutus with $15 from your Layla Grace purchase going to the Marsh family.))

Where The Wild Things Aren't

We rented Where The Wild Things are last night. We let Ethan stay up late to watch it. He was pretty excited. He's loved the book since I first read it to him at 1 1/2. I'm not gonna lie, I was super excited to. I mean..Come on..It's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE!!! I don't know what I was expecting out of this movie, but it wasn't what I was hoping it would be. I'm a little sad about it. Poor Max. You're story was killed. Upside? The music was pretty good.

Another upside? I got to spend some much needed mommy, daddy and Ethan time with Ethan. He doesn't really get that much anymore. It's not something I can control since he does have two younger siblings and I'm a SAHM. When he leaves for school I'm nursing Grayson or trying to chase Claire down for a diaper change. When he gets home from school I'm nursing Grayson or trying to get Claire to sit still long enough for me to brush the tangles out of her hair from her nap. Spending time with him alone is a rarity. I miss it sometimes.

You know who else needs alone time? Claire. Once Grayson is in bed, she runs to me and wraps her little arms around my legs and tight as she can. She brings her cup and blanket over and snuggles up to me as much as she can. She wraps her little finger in my hair. I love that. I miss being home just us all day. She's still adjusting to not being the baby anymore. It's hard. I could always pick her up whenever she wanted me to, and now I can't because Grayson is usually taking up residence in my arms because he isn't a fan of long periods of bouncy chair time. Though, he has recently taken a liking to the jumperoo. Hopefully his independence increases and I can spend more time with Claire.

Auction For Layla Grace

http://projectmommyhood.blogspot.com/

Head over and bid. Open to US. Please head over. There are 33 items. All proceeds go to Layla's family.

Bananas Make Claire One RABID Toddler!

Ahhh..Grocery shopping. Today was grocery shopping day. Well, technically, Sunday was grocery shopping day, but I wasn't feeling well Sunday or Monday, so I headed out today with Claire and Grayson in tow. The weather was AWESOME today. A warm 40 degrees. Lots of melting snow. I cannot wait for the rest of it to go away. I'm done with snow. I'm done with winter. COME ON SPRING!!

We got to the store, and started our shopping. Claire, of course, trying to poke her way into things as I put them in the cart. Once she even ripped open a package of mushrooms and started chowing down on them while I was trying to pick some apples. Nice. Things got interesting when the bananas came into play though. I picked two bunches because my kids become Houdini when bananas are in the house. I put them in the cart. Claire went nuts. She wanted one. She wanted one bad. I would have given her one on the spot, but they have to weigh them so I can pay the right price for them, so I told her she needed to wait. She protested a little, but then quieted down. I think the only reason she quieted down though was because we passed the bakery, and they were displaying an Elmo cake today. We paid for our things, and home we went.

Once we got home, I brought in the groceries and set about putting them away, with the tiny helper hot on my heels the whole time. Grayson was having himself a good giggle with his gym. He's finally figure out that if you pull the monkey's tail, it plays music. Giggles follow. Anywho, Claire and I are putting away groceries, and she finds the bananas. I say, "OK. Mommy promised you a banana. Here you go." I peel the banana and give it to her. She does her little happy dance. I continue putting away groceries. Five minutes later my head is buried in the fridge trying to move some stuff around to put in the meats and veggies, and I hear Claire say, "Uh oh." Turns out she wanted another banana. Apparently, I wasn't fast enough opening it for her, so she chewed through the peel. It was kinda funny to see. Lesson learned: Put the bananas away after giving Claire one. She can't contain herself around bananas.

The other day, I posted a link to Layla Grace (Twitter). Today, I found out that Little Diva Tutu's is holding a fundraiser to help Layla's family pay for her medical expenses. If you would like to contribute, click the link and order a Layla Grace tutu. Fifteen dollars from every tutu purchased will be sent directly to Layla's family.

Featured Blogger

Guess what? I was asked to write a blog for a new website called New Parent. WOO HOO!! My first feature blog. I wrote about breastfeeding. Want to check out my blog? Go HERE and check it out. I'm very excited to have been asked to write a feature blog!

If you are coming over and joining my blog from New Parent, welcome! Read around and enjoy your stay!

I Came Across Her The Other Day

And her story breaks my hearts and astounds me at the same time. Her name is Layla Grace. Read her story here and follow her on twitter here.