Mad Tree Decorating Skills

Or at least, I like to say they are, because then I'm not so sad that pretty much none of our ornaments survived to Christmas.

A few weeks ago, we decorated our tree.  I thought it was going to be super easy as I now have TWO toddlers who would LOVE decorating a tree.  I opened up the box that contains all the decorations, and Grayson took out the bag full of unbreakable ornaments that we would be using.



He grabbed some out of the bag, and I showed him how to place them on the tree.  He got excited.  Claire got excited.  Ethan is always excited.  This was going to be great!

After maybe 4 minutes, Grayson got bored and spent the rest of tree decorating time doing this.



In case you don't get what "this" is, he was taking the ornaments out of the bag, and rolling them so far under the tree I had to army crawl under it to fetch them.  He thought this was HYSTERICAL.  Me?  Not so much.  A few fake pine needles happened to make their way behind my glasses to greet my eye as I crawled around under the tree.  Super.

After an hour of fighting with lights, fishing for Christmas balls and repeatedly saying, "No, don't throw that.  No, don't touch that.  No, do not throw balls at your brother's/sister's head/face!" we finally got it all put together.  Notice the sideways star.  That's how we roll.



It looked great for about 24 hours.  It no longer looks like this.  They have (they being Claire and Grasyon) managed to break even unbreakable ornaments.  They've pulled the strings out and have pretty much unraveled yarn from all of them, except for a few at the top.  It's a good thing Target has pretty awesome Christmas clearance, because I'm going to need it.

Baby Curls

We've been having Claire evaluated at the Primary school in town for some speech concerns we've been having and so she can start school next fall as planned. Little does she know, that means potty training. It will be done!!!

A few weeks ago, I took this picture of Grayson.


I set the baby gates up at both of the entrances to the kitchen while I was unpacking and cleaning up. I didn't want him to be under foot while I was trying to organize things. He stood outside happily while I swept and mopped and sang the ABC's too many times to count.

Last week, after a short 30 minute meeting at the primary school with Claire, we shuffled in from the cold. I heard Grayson squeal and his little feet start their short run from the kitchen to the top of the stairs. I was bent down taking off Claire's coat when I heard him say, "Hi! Hi, mommy!" I looked up, and this is what I was met with.


While Claire and I were meeting with the speech teacher and the woman doing the evaluations, David had cut Grayson's hair! All of his beautiful, beautiful baby curls were gone. And, David made the first baby haircut no no...He threw Grayson's hair in the garbage!!! Everyone knows you DON'T DO THAT!! Don't worry, I dug some out.

Granted, it was probably about time for his first haircut. He was constantly brushing hair out of his face during play. Still, I was reluctant. Once the curls come off, they don't come back. And I miss them. I really miss them. He doesn't look like a baby anymore, he looks like a little boy.


And I just don't know if I'm happy about that...

Home Sweet Home

I am finally not busy for a few minutes. I know, it's shocking. You miss me. A lot.

We've been in our new home for a little over a month now, and we love it. There is so much space for the kids to run and play. There's tons of storage. It kind of feels like a blank canvas that I don't know what to do with.

Want to know what it looks like? You're in luck. I'm sharing pictures today! Please, ignore any mess. They were taken not long after move in. Also, please ignore the almost naked Claire with the big black dot covering her. She's in several pictures. Here we go!

You have of course seen the outside of the house a few times now. But, hell, let's see it again!

This is what the rest of the neighborhood looks like.

And now, you get to see the inside!!!

This is what you see when you walk in the front door. Grayson is almost always there, with Teddy sitting right next to him.

And this is what it looks like looking down.

Don't worry, the door wasn't just all open for no reason. David was coming in. He kinda ruined my photographer moment.

This is what our living room looks like.

We like the color. We don't like the hint of crayon that the previous owner's children added to it.

This is what the dining room looks like. At breakfast time. And at pretty much any meal time.

This is our kitchen from the dining room.

And then from the window. (And time out for my GLASS TOP STOVE..(insert excited squeal and high five here)..Please ignore the garbage can. Unpacking does that.)..

This is Claire's room. Super purple. I really want to paint it. The purple kinda kills me a little.

This is our room...And Grayson. It used to be the same color as Claire's. The room, not Grayson. Two coats of paint and as many ruined shirts later, I got it to be this color. Please, ignore our moving in mess. Also, see my super awesome arrows. The previous owners apparently didn't know what painters tape is. They painted the ceiling in every room with big color splotches, and used masking tape to line their borders. I've been scraping it off for weeks.

This is the crazy colored upstairs bathroom that made my mother ask me if we bought our house from a pimp. No really, she did.

And now we head downstairs, where you'll find Ethan's room.

Grayson's room

The laundry room that scares me. Seriously. I don't know what to do with this room.

And the downstairs living room.

So far, our neighborhood is lovely. I haven't had a chance to explore much by foot. It's gotten quite cold. We'll have to wait until spring. I'm enjoying only driving 5-10 minutes to get groceries versus 30-40 minutes. I've been trying to find a part time job near by. So far, no luck. I hear Carter's calling my name though. I'd love to work there. It probably wouldn't be good for my paycheck though. I'd give it right back.

So, now that I'm not as busy, I'll be back. I have lots of posts saved up. Look for one soon. I'll be catching up on you tomorrow.

Now I'm Going To Give You Stuff::My Memories Suite Review And Giveaway!

Digital Scrapbooking. It's become quite popular I've seen. There are blogs dedicated to it. Stores open for it. People creating left and right. It makes sense. We've stepped into the digital age. In high school I wouldn't be caught without my camera that required me to spend a small fortune on film...Or, for Shaq Lovin' Grandma to spend a small fortune on film I should say. I can't tell you how many exasperated trips we made to Walgreen's to get it developed, Shaq Lovin' Grandma always asking why I needed four copies of each picture. To give to all my friends...DUH!! Twelve years later and Nikon and I are getting to know each other better and better. But what to do with all the digital goodness?

Welcome to My Memories Suite! It's really great (and super simple to use) digital scrapbooking software for all of your digital scrapbooking needs. Now, I must admit, I am a novice to such things. The extent of my digital scrapbooking knowledge is pretty much using whatever free service I can find online to make my blog header. I was a little nervous, but I have to tell you, it was so easy to use. You can create your own look:

Or you can use a premade template, just choose your own background and add a little flair:

And, if you're a beginner like me, My Memories Suite has you covered. They have videos on YouTube to help you get started and there are a lot of fabulous tutorials from other My Memories Suite users to help you get the most out of your product.

Pros?

I love that the software was easy to use. Choose photos, drag and drop onto the page and you're well on your way to creating something fun and unique. You can add music and video to any of your scrapbooks. The templates are well put together and there is something for everyone.

Cons?

The templates in the main purchase are pretty basic, as are any embellishments. You can purchase extras from the www.mymemories.com for as little as $1.00, and they have a whole page of extra kits for FREE. Yes, you read that right, FREE.

I know, you're itching to get to the good part, right? The wonderful people of My Memories Suite have offered you, my readers, a chance to win a My Memories Suite of your very own. Want to know how to enter? Here goes!

You must be a public follower of my blog, and leave me a comment letting me know that you are. This entry must be completed for extra entries to count.

And the extra entries? Remember to leave a separate comment for each!

1) Visit www.mymemories.com and let me know what kit you would like for your digital scrapbooking fun!

2) Like My Memories on Facebook. Be sure to let them know I sent you!

3) Follow My Memories and tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include a link to this post. Let me know where to find your tweet. No daily tweets please!

4) Check out My Memories Suite on YouTube and let me know which videos you found useful.

Please be sure that your e-mail address is either public in your profile or in at least on of your entries. If I can't e-mail you, you can't win!

Winner will be chosen on Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 11:00PM CDT. Winner will be chosen by random.org and will be notified. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Open to US residents! Good luck!

And there you go. Five easy ways to enter and win! But wait, there's more? (Infomercial star in the making right here!)

Can't wait for your chance to win? Must have the product right now? You're in luck. My Memories is offering you, my dear readers a $10 coupon code for the My Memories Suite V3 software as well as a $10 coupon for your purchase from the My Memories Suite store. That's a $20 value! Just use coupon code STMMMS77511 at checkout. Happy shopping!

And, just so you know, I was provided with a copy of My Memories Suite for review as well as a coupon code for readers. This in no way changed my opinion of this product. All opinions in this post are honest and my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy Thanksgiving bloggy friends!

I'll be back soon with an update, pictures of the new house and a giveaway! I know, you're on the edge of your seat and excited! Until then, enjoy this wonderful holiday.

Dear Grayson

Dear Grayson,

On October 31st, 2011, you turned two...And mommy cried a little.

In the past year you've gone from this:

To this:

You weigh 26 pounds and are just under 30 inches tall. Still the smallest in the bunch!

What a year it has been! You learned to walk just a couple of months after you're first birthday. You balanced precariously between daddy and I, your little feet unsure of what to do or where to go, but you did it. You FINALLY started sleeping through the night. You are the most lovable small one.

You like to pull up my shirt and rest your head on the skin of my belly when you are sleepy. You talk...A lot. Whenever you are doing something you shouldn't be, we say, "Grayson!" and you look at us with those big blue eyes, and you smile your big smile and you say, "Hi" in the sweetest voice you can. It makes us laugh every time.

You love cars, but don't really like watching the move Cars. You've taken a liking to Tangled, and will sit and watch with your sister. You love apples and bananas. You are not a fan of broccoli.

This year we made a big change. The day before your birthday, we moved into a brand new house.

You walk up and down the stairs like a champ, and were so excited when a train went by. That excitement hasn't gone away yet. You are always running to the window when you hear the trains.

We went trick or treating in our new neighborhood, and you were an army man. The costume hung over your hands. You thought the extra material was funny and kept clapping your hands to watch it wave back and forth. The costume was size 18 months. I guess you have some growing to do.

After trick or treating, daddy came home from the sale of the trailer, and we had some cake.

You were not at all excited by this. I think trick or treating wore you out, because you tried to take the cake out with the iPad.

But, I think you had a pretty good day. I missed taking pictures of you opening presents because, silly mommy, I left the memory card in the laptop and daddy didn't bring it home until right before we did your cake. I know you love your presents though.

So, happy belated birthday baby boy. I can't wait to see what year 3 has in store for you.

Love you so, so much,

Mommy

Why Haven't I Been Posting Much?

On top of all the cord dying business and the leaf pile craziness, David and I have spent the last couple of weeks anxiously waiting and phoning and signing. For what you ask?

For this! That's right, we bought a house! This is our very first house. It's a beautiful little 4 bedroom, 2 bath home. And, it has a GARAGE! No more shoveling snow off of our cars before we leave. Now we just have to shovel the driveway. It needs some serious painting. The old owners? They really had a thing for accent walls. The walls in the kitchen are a terrible red. They used masking tape as their border. It's stuck to everything. They also managed to get paint on a few of the cabinets. But, there are two things I love in this kitchen that take it all away. A DISHWASHER!! I haven't had a dishwasher in 5 years! I don't even know if I remember how to use it. And, a glass top stove. I have wanted a glass top stove FOREVER.

I'll have to update my profile because we are no longer going to be living in a tiny Wisconsin town. We will now be living in a tiny Minnesota town. We're moving about an hour and twenty minutes from "home". From a village of just over 1,000 to a town of just over 5,000. I'll also miss that beautiful park. I'll have to take a drive around the new town to see if they have a replica. I hope they do.

While all of this is extremely exciting, I'm also feeling sad. This has been our home for 5 years. Ethan's started school here. He's grown up with these kids. His best friend lives right across the street. We brought Claire and Grayson home here. We've celebrated so many firsts here, it's a little sad to leave it all behind. I know this town like the back of my hand. I guess it's time to learn a new one.

I'm Still Here!

Well, it's been 13 days since my last post. The power cord on our laptop decided to take a nap...Permanently. We were without laptop power while we waited for our new cord to arrive. This gave me time at night after the small ones were asleep to lay face first on the couch and think about how bored I was. And I was...Bored. Except on Sunday when my favorite grown up show, The Walking Dead, premiered. That took away an hour and a half of grown up time boredom. So, now I'm back and catching up on you, but here's something fun that happened with me while I was away...Or, Ethan, but I live vicariously, so...

Last week after Ethan came home from school, he asked to play outside. I told him he could, and that he better enjoy it because it was going to be the last warm day for awhile (and wouldn't you know it, the weatherman was actually right this time!). He ran outdoors and I could hear he and his friends giggling outside the front door. I peeked out the window and there were arm exaggerations and heavy planning happening. I figured it was probably another Nerf gun war. They happen often and feverishly in the summer, with lots of dramatic planning. I've seen a map or two drawn.

After about 20 minutes, Ethan came in the door and cried excitedly, "Mom, you have GOT to come and see this cool thing we made!" Well if I've just GOT to see it, I guess I will. I put down my book and slipped on my shoes and headed out the door, where Ethan immediately fell to his left and into this.

After he popped back up out of the leafy abyss, he said, "This has got to be the biggest leaf pile you've ever seen? I bet even you and Uncle Justin haven't made things like this!" This was true. Uncle Justin and I have't made anything like this. But, I grew up in Arizona and the only thing to build piled like this were rocks, and I wasn't planning to fall into that. Even with the few years I lived in California, there were no leaves for us to build piles from. I ran in to grab my camera and snap a picture. He repeated his falling process just for me.

He and his friend rushed up the steps to tell me of their leaf pile building adventures, before taking the plunge together.

And, after a long day of building piles, it was time to say goodbye. We can't leave the pile there, because it never blows away and in the spring, there's a big brown spot where the pile sat and melted away into the snow. They set to spreading it out over the yard. For Ethan, that meant a snowfall of leaves.

It was really fun to watch. I also hope it's fun to read. Good to be back!

Why A Futon Mattress Is Not Good For A Toddler

When we switched Claire from crib to big girl bed, we needed a new mattress for the captain's bed we have. The old mattress belonged to Ethan, who used it as a trampoline. He pretty much showed that mattress he was there to jump, and he meant business. The result? Springs. Springs poking out everywhere.

David and I discussed out mattress budget, and one day the local furniture store (Slumberland) was having an incredible sale. Seventy dollars for a twin mattress. David called his dad for help to pick it up and away they went. I excitedly got Claire's brand new sheet set out and got things ready for her new big girl bed.

Thirty minutes later, David came through the door.....Carrying a futon mattress. I looked at the mattress. I looked at David. I looked at the mattress. I looked at David, who was kind of beaming with pride. I looked at the mattress. I said, "Uhhh..." and David said, "Yeah, I know, it's awesome. It was a great deal. Only $40!" I said, "Well, 'awesome' isn't really the word I was going for. Crazy and not a good idea are more my speed." He said he couldn't take it back because it was a final sale. "Awesome..." I said, in the most sarcastic way possible. Apparently, awesome was a word for me.

I got it all set up and she was SO excited. She went to bed happily in her brand new bed. It was a much easier transition than Ethan's transition from crib to bed. And then we all lived happily ever after.....Until....

About a week ago, Claire discovered that the bed rail she has on the side of the bed, moves. Then she discovered that if she moved the mattress a little bit, she could take the bed rail off. Then she discovered that her mattress was light. So, what does she do? She completely strips the bed of all it's linens. Pillows are thrown across the room. Then there is giggling, and that's when I know it's happening. She takes the mattress completely off the bed, and dances on the platform it sits on. Then she rushes out into the living room (as fast as a three year old with tiny legs can over a mattress rolled at the foot of the bed) runs to Grayson and shouts, "Grayson! Grayson! Come on! Come on!" and they go bounding together over the mattress and dance on the platform. It's a unison of tiny feet hitting wood and fits of giggles.

And then I have to go in and break up the party. Put the bed back together. Walk past two crestfallen faces after having broken up their fun.

It doesn't last long though. I can guarantee that within two hours (sometimes even within 30 minutes) the process repeats itself. Unless, of course, Grayson is napping. Then she waits.

Stuff I Want

Can I just tell you about something that I want?

I've seen it being given away on other blogs (and I may have entered a giveaway....Or 20) and I recently saw it being sold in a local ShopKo. It's the Sodastream.

So, what is it? The Sodastream is a machine that allows you to make your own soda in your own home. You use regular water, some soda flavoring and the machine adds the carbonation and VOILA...Soda.

Want to see it in action?

I've been trying to talk David into buying this for MONTHS....Maybe more than a year. I couldn't stop playing with it when I saw it being sold in the store. It's an amazing little device. And I think it would save us money one soda since David drinks it...A lot. And, since we can make out own sparkling water, I would love that. I don't drink soda, but every once in awhile I like to enjoy a glass of sparkling water with a little bit of lemon. I would also much rather have the small ones drink some sparkling water instead of soda. This would give me all of that, right in my own kitchen. Who doesn't want that?

Cloth Diapers: A Year Later

It's been a little over a year since I started using cloth. So, how's it going?

Cloth diapers are easier than I thought they would be. What makes them even easier? Diaper liners. My life is so much easier when I don't have to clean that up. It makes it so easy to put the solids in the toilet without mess. Sometimes the liner doesn't catch it all, but it's better than having it EVERYWHERE in the diaper.

Washing them is easy as well. Once every other month or so I need to strip them because they do happen to get a bit of a stink in them after awhile. A good hot wash and a few runs on the rinse cycle to get out all the soap build up does the trick, and they are back to smelling fresh. My only problem then is the drying. Drying a cloth diaper in the sun is supposed to be the best. The sun is a natural bleacher and having your diapers in the fresh air helps freshen them up. But, we have no clothes line. I hang the covers in the bathroom and dry the soakers on a low, tumble setting in the dryer. I'd much rather have them in the sun, but you work with what you've got.

The thing I have love/hate relationship with is the snaps. I have two velcro diapers. A Tinybots diaper and a diaper made by my wonderful friend from her Mommyx3 Monter's shop (check her out here and her etsy here). The velcro is quick and easy. The snaps though, take time to get on and that gives Grayson lots of time to wiggle and turn and in one case, get up too early and run, swinging his diaper around one foot while laughing at his naked run. The good thing is that he can't get them off. We've had only a couple of issues with the velcro, and thankfully, they weren't messy. He likes the sounds that the ripping velcro makes.

I did try to put Claire in a cloth diaper, hoping that if she felt wet in the cloth, it would entice her to use the potty. No luck. She laid flat on the floor after I put it on and screamed. I ignored it for a bit, thinking that she would stop after a few minutes. She screamed for 30 minutes...Flat on the floor...Right where I left her.

So, as of now, Grayson is still a part time cloth wearing baby. He wears disposables while we are out and about and at bedtime. He wears cloth at home and during naps. I've got my fingers crossed that even the part time will help with potty training later. Potty training Claire is.....Well, that's a story for another day.

Toddler Showdown

It's been one of those weekends. I took no pictures, so I used paint. Enjoy it.

It all started Friday night. David was getting ready for bed early as he always does since he works early on Saturday mornings. I got Claire and Grayson ready for bed. Everyone got tucked in and snuggled down. Sometime in the middle of the night...Something changed.

Saturday started as usual. I heard Claire wake up, so I opened her bedroom door and walked down the hall where I released Grayson from his crib. They greeted me in the usual way.

As you can see, I'm not really a morning person. I usually have more time to compose myself for the day while they eat.

We all headed to the kitchen, and I poured three bowls of cereal, and three hungry children sat silently and ate. This should have been my first clue that something had shifted in my house. They are never quiet during breakfast.

After breakfast was finished and hands were clean, Ethan went to his room to read and play. I washed dishes while Grayson played by my feet and Claire repeated what her toy computer said. When I was done, we all migrated to the living room, where things really went down.

What was it like, you ask? It was like someone had come into my living room in the middle of the night, set up a tiny, toddler size wrestling ring and threw my small ones into it. What, you want a visual?

Seriously, that's what it was like. You could hear fists crunching together as they anticipated a victory. And then, they were at it. There was biting. There was screaming and lots of, "No Grayson!".

Then, Grayson found his move.

This earned Grayson a time out....Or three.

Maybe it was that it was rainy out. Maybe it's because it was cold. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because Apple is evil and made this to torture me.

(source)

And, so it goes on...And on...And on. There has been screaming. Fighting. Biting. Hair pulling. And multiple time outs since Saturday. All because of an iPad.

I Can Feel Fall

Last week, it was so warm out. We had two 90 degree days. We did a little walking. We had a little fun. And we had a little water play.

Grayson was amazed by Ethan's ability to catch water in his mouth from a sprinkler.

He accidentally got splashed in the face a little bit by Claire with some not so clear water, but he didn't mind.

It was very enjoyable.

And then fall came and slapped us in the face. It's been chilly. Yesterday the low was around 30 degrees overnight. A little better considering the 24 it was just a couple of days before that. This does, however, mean that colder weather is just around the corner. Changing leaves. Cold winds. And...Snow.

This year we are prepared though. After last year's blizzard where we got dumped with almost 4 feet of snow not once, but twice, David broke down and bought a snow blower. This does not mean I am at all excited about it. It see it the firs time it falls. I think, "Wow, that's so pretty," and that's where it ends. It's cold. It's wet. I usually slip and fall all over myself in it. Awesome.

So, while I can, I'll be enjoying the last few weeks of 60 degrees. Bye summer. Till next year.

Almost Back On Track, But While We're Waiting....

I'm starting to feel a lot better. I took a small break to get some rest. I feel almost normal. I feel confident I'll be back to my workout routine but, at the latest, Thursday. I still have a not so nice cough, but I think it's almost cleared up.

So, while we're waiting for me to die in front of the TV while Jillian Michaels screams at me to do more, not stop and feel weakness leaving my body, I thought I'd do a little catching up.

A couple of weeks ago, the small ones and I were hanging around the house. Ethan was bored and Claire and Grayson were practicing their new love/hate relationship. More on that at a later date, because it's really driving me nuts.

Anyways, I have a friend who is very into Geocaching. She and her son go hiking in the mountains near her Nevada home and find them. They make day out of it, and have a good time. She's been telling me about it for awhile, and seeing the so bored look on Ethan's face and hearing the screaming between Claire and Grayson, I decided to look it up.

Now, you might be thinking, "What is Geocaching, Chantel?" Well, I'll tell you! Geocaching is like a worldwide treasure hunt. People take small boxes or other things and fill them with small items, like charms, small toys, coins, etc...As well as a small notepad to log who has found it when what date they found it on, then, they hide it. They post the coordinates to the location of it online, so other people can look up the coordinates on GPS and find it. The only rule is, if you take something from the Geocache, you replace it with something else.

I went to the official Geocaching website and signed up, then I searched for caches hidden in our area, and was lucky enough to find 3. I separated Claire and Grayson before the real wrestling match began and told Ethan to get some shoes. Two sippy cups and two bottles of water later, we were in the car to explore and hunt.

The first one was to be located at a place we drive by quite a bit. It's across the street from Ethan's school at the VFW. What's special about it is, it was in a tank. Yes, a real tank. The VFW in town has a tank parked in from with a memorial plaque on the front. We stopped and I loaded Grayson up in the stroller while Claire and Ethan ran over to Oooo and Ahhh in wonder. Then, we searched. It took a few circles around the tank before we found it. Ethan was so excited to open it.

After posing for a picture with his "treasure" as he called it, we sat on the ground and looked at all the things other's had left behind. There was a small bottle of bubbles, which caught Claire's attention immediately. Ethan opted not to take anything. I think he was afraid it was considered stealing, even though I explained the process of trading. Once he was done, we signed the log and replaced it. Then Ethan posed for a picture.

Next we headed to the local cemetery. I know, odd place. It also happens to be a memorial for men and women from Clear Lake that died in war. We got out and began our walk to look for the Geocache that was supposed to be hidden here. Unfortunately, it was no longer available. Apparently, it was the victim of the lawn mower when it fell from it's perch in a tree. Ethan opted instead to look around at all the old graves from the 1800's. While wondering around, we found the grave of Gaylord A. Nelson, founder of Earth Day. He was born and raised here in Clear Lake. There's historical signs in front of his house and also on the school.

Ethan was very interested in this and asked about a million questions. I told him to check out the large display at school that has pictures of Gaylord Nelson as well as copies of the book written about him. He wasn't to interested in that, because it involved reading and learning. Apparently this wasn't the day for that.

We headed home after that because it was getting late and I had to make dinner. After dinner, David stayed home after I put Claire and Grayson to bed so I could take Ethan and a friend to the park to look for a Geocache that was supposed to be hidden there. Unfortunately, we didn't find it. But, I did get to see the sunset.

It was a fun day. We'll be doing it again, and I really suggest it on a day when you think you have nothing to do!

Weigh In

So, I said I would update weekly. I know, I know..It's been about two weeks. We have been so super incredibly busy. We had birthday week, getting ready for the first day of school and hopefully something I can share with you all soon rolled into two weeks. It was crazy, hectic, and I was unable to work out as much as I would have liked in those two weeks.

So, I haven't been able to do much of the 30 Day Shred. I still drank my Slim Fast...Until I ran out. Birthday week is an expensive shopping week, from which my grocery budget was still recovering last week, so I was unable to purchase more. Instead it's been a food tracking kind of week or so. I have the Spark People app downloaded on the iPad and it counts calories in my foods for me.

And, this week I managed to get hit with some sickness. My whole body feels tired and my throat hurts so much. I haven't eaten much and my body hurts too much to work out, so I'm resting up and kicking it into high gear as soon as the grossness wears off.

So, where do I weight in?

Since my last weigh in, I've only lost 1 1/2 pounds. Not much. Makes me feel crappy really. Hopefully I have better things to report at my next weigh in. I'll be back next week with a report.

Dear Ethan

Dear Ethan,

The 28th was your 9th birthday. Nine years ago, you were placed in my arms after 13 hours of labor that I remember so well, it feels like you were just born. You were stubborn in your arrival, which reminds me of your attitude today. It took 2 1/2 hours of pushing and 2 vacuums (the first one broke you were so insistent on staying in) to get you here. And then, there you were. This wonderful little boy. The love I felt for you in that moment and now is..Well, can't be put into words.

In the past year, you've completed third grade, grown in leaps in bounds and have become such a compassionate and happy little boy. This is your last year as a single digit age. Next year, we move to double digits, and I'm not happy about it.

You've also become super handsome. Sometimes, you're attitude is not as handsome, but you correct yourself.

This year you got up early and opened presents.

Afterwards, I made you a breakfast of pancakes and bacon. You're brother and sister were very happy about this.

Then I made you're cake. You requested Darth Vader. Darth Vader turned into an alien, because apparently, I'm not very good at Darth Vader. I'll work on it though.

We sang happy birthday.

And you made a wish (or wishes) that I hope come true for you.

Welcome to year nine my handsome little man. I hope it brings everything you want.

Love,

Mom